To Become One with the Rising Tide
by Reichenfaust
Summary: Ah, shit. I'm in the body of Monkey D. Garp and I've just introduced Luffy to Ace. What am I going to do? Troll Sengoku and the Gorosei? Make Ace and Luffy become Marines and slap Akainu like a bitch? I'm sure I can think of something...
1. Chapter 1-Oh God, NO

**To Become one with the Rising Tide**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own anything that is from a monetized source, this is a not for profit exercise in fun and pursuit of happiness.

 **Summary:** Ah, shit. I'm in the body of Monkey D. Garp and I've just introduced Luffy to Ace. What am I going to do? Troll Sengoku and the Gorosei? Make Ace and Luffy become Marines and slap Akainu like a bitch? I'm sure I can think of something...

 **Chapter 1-Oh God, NO**

"-Gramps are you listening to me?"

The dulcet tones of a preteen kid hit my eardrums, and my eyes began to focus around me. What was I just doing? What is going on? And is that a young Gol D. Ace and Monkey D. Luffy I spy in front of me...?!

Am I in One Piece?

"I'm sorry Luffy, can you repeat your question, afraid I was leagues away my grandson." My voice, came out around two tones deeper than what I normally sounded like, and the differences laid in the voice of the man I was now inhabiting sounding like gravel, whereas my voice sounded deep with bass.

Oh HELL NAH!

I was in Monkey D. Garp's body... I WAS MONKEY D. GARP!

One of the greatest and most legendary sailors from the Age of the Pirate King, "Garp the Fist" was renowned and praised because his abilities with strength and the Marine techniques gave him the ability to match and beat the monsters of the last generation and this current one. Those I see as some of the pros.

Cons?

I'm now in a world, ruled by a selfish elite, who enslave anyone they please, constricted with a massive Navy and Marine corps, and even though I'm legendary, I'm also chowder if I make a wrong move. Sengoku tolerates Garp, but knows him intimately, and would recognize a more independent and rebellious Garp as an imposter. The Admirals and others will most likely report me to the nobles if I do anything that impedes them. The CP's could fabricate any number of claims, and paint me ten ways from Sunday before I got up in the morning. The Gorosei could hire a Yonkou to wipe me out, if I displeased them, hoping I would prove a useful tool one last time in destroying a Pirate Emperor as I was killed...

"-amps, you said you were gonna train us!" Luffy's face lit up brightly at the idea of training, and getting stronger. Ace pretended to be disinterested, but gave himself away with the occasional nervous glance at his grandfather.

Hmmm. Garp would of course turn them down. However, Garp's not here man!

"Hrmf. I need to know a few things before we go ahead with that boys. I want to know how much you guys can handle each day, and how fast you heal. You, Luffy, have the _Gomu Gomu no Mi_ , and are thus possessed of the ability to use all of rubber's qualities with none of it's drawbacks. Same with you Ace, even though your fruit is the _Mera Mera no Mi_ , the one main similarity in the devil fruit's is that you are able to use an ability without drawbacks. This is due to the automatic drawback of the body seizing up, when you touch seawater." My basic assessment had the boys slightly slackjawed, but nodding along at the rational explanations.

"So, you will each do a regime I will prepare for you, for three weeks straight. Then, we will see whether a tough regime is beneficial or detrimental to your growth. As well, you need not worry about being alone and exhausting yourself when you are asleep anymore, for I will be staying permanently with you. This does not mean you do not have to hunt, as I won't have your survival skills slipping Ace, and I want you teach Luffy everything you know so that he will be able to survive anywhere by himself." In my mind, I began to think of what I could put them through. Given the extraordinary physiology of a Devil-Fruit enhanced individual, and how insane ones growth became once they trained(there is no way Sengoku, Akainu, Kizaru, Aokiji, and the others could have become as tall as they were but not completely giants, without some kind of devil fruit enhancement explanation), I should be able to make these dudes into someone that Hashirama Senju, Yamamoto Genryusai Shingekuni, The Vision, Iron Man, and Shao Kahn would take seriously in a fight.

The only way to do this, was to isolate the boys as best as I could, train myself, steal some important artifacts, and make sure Shanks got his arm back. There were many ways to do the last, and the the others I had designs for already.

"For now, I want you to go hunting, and get the biggest kill you can, we will need the energy. Go." I didn't give them a chance to reply, instead delegating a task that would both take their focus and allow what he had just told them to sink in.

Running through my mind, I began listing all the insane training programs I had seen in anime, and actively began to take ideas I liked or wanted to achieve and stuck them in a mental hologram of what I needed to make together successfully. Eventually I scrolled to a stop.

I would begin putting Garp's body through the paces of Saitama's workout from the One Punch Man series, and see what it could do for his body. Adding elements of Maito Gai's workout, and Son Goku's Turtle Hermit routines, completed the physical component for now. Until I was able to gain a Devil Fruit, Haki and the Marine techniques would have to do. Combined with the Saitama-Gai-Goku workout I had planned, it should give me enough benefits to pancake any threats that come my way. Maybe even enough to ward off someone like Akainu, or Kaido.

Maybe that was too optimistic, but I would go through with it anyway.

As for Luffy and Ace... Starting with Saitama's workout was a great idea, and if I could get something like Muten Roshi's shells to enhance the training, they would gain an advantage over their future selves by having a martial ability, more stamina, agility, and better reaction times. I wouldn't add the savage weight training that Gai did, but his form of Goken and the repetition's he had Lee do would be most useful in training Luffy and Ace.

As for understanding their abilities...

I would begin to teach them what I knew of science, the world, the universe, cosmology, biology, chemistry, physics, and everything that could give them an advantage. The more one understands their relation to their surroundings, the more they are integrated with and comfortable in that area. Almost like a home-field advantage, but much more tangible considering it wasn't a superstitious outcome he was hoping for, but rather one that would strategically overpower an opponents attempts to dominate them. Ace alone, would now be able to burn far hotter than he was ever before, because he began to understand the nature of his fire, his fruit, and his own energies.

I was hoping I could convince him to burn hot enough to vaporize magma for... Reasons.

Luffy would gain a lot from the training, maybe more than Ace, due to the rebounding nature of his body. How else did he get so injured and devastated by Crocodile before coming back and thumping the cigar-smoking menace good? Even if Emporio Ivan was as good as he says he was, how did Luffy survive Magellan's attack? Luffy was not only durable with his rubber body, but his physiology rebounded extraordinarily quick. While not on the scale of The Wolverine, or The Hulk, it was in excess of say, what Captain America in the 616 Marvel Universe had displayed. Which gave me plenty of opportunities. Luffy's devil fruit gave him an innate healing factor, and each time the cells healed, they improved. The human body works on an epigenetic level during it's lifetime, to accommodate and protect the body as a whole, and when our bones heal they become stronger as long as we eat what is needed to fuel our bodies systems. While not on the level of regrowing a limb, our bodies can do miraculous things. Therefore, Luffy would make massive strides in strength, and probably easily match Dracule "Hawkeyes" Mihawk when he got to Chef Zeff's restaurant. Strength of fist and Haki, against strength of sword and Haki, that would be a fight to behold.

Ace may make less gains when it comes to physical power, unless he could come up with a way of getting him to use his fires more abstract properties of destruction and renewal to flood his body with the flames and increase his healing every night, until he could heal on instinct with his fire by burning away the old and providing the spark for the new.

"Gramps, we caught nearly half a pond I think, Luffy's got a huuuuge pike!" Ace's warm declaration was surprising given how cold and bored he had been attempting to look. Maybe the hunt and walk allowed him to vent his reactive feelings and then think about what his grandfather had said before coming to the conclusion that it would be better with his Gramps around.

"Good job boys. We will eat good tonight." As the two fell into the routine of preparing the fish, and starting the fire, I joined them. Jumping back and forth between Luffy and Ace, I made sure to aid them and only help with the activities, not order them around as that would alienate them. I needed to not only build their minds and bodies, but I needed to build their spirits. And that meant being a good grandfather, who takes care of his family, when no one else can do it and train them as necessary to face the world.

"Alright. I think you two have had enough time to stew. What kind of questions do you have for me?" Facing them across the fire, while the 400 pound pike's meat was stretched out and cooking, I looked the two in the eyes. Both looked at each other once, nodded, then faced me.

"Gramps... Why the change of heart?" Ace's eyes narrowed, questioning me before I even replied.

"... That is difficult to answer Ace. While walking Luffy here, I was going over a few things in my mind, and I realized something. Despite my efforts to keep you hidden and protected, maybe I was going about it the wrong way. Maybe I wasn't doing enough, and maybe I could do more." Ace opened his mouth to retort that he was too late, but I overrode his attempt to redirect the conversation. "Because all I could think about, was what if I was wrong... And suddenly there were visions of your death haunting me. Every night on the way to Luffy's town, and every night on the way here, I was tormented by visions of you dying at the hands of all sorts of monsters. Pirates. Marines. Nobles. Warlords. Anyone who had the power to mess with me, and could get to you when I wasn't in range to protect you." I stirred the embers, haunted by only one vision. The dead eyes of Ace, as he blocks a fist of magma before it impacts his kneeling brother Luffy.

Needed to prevent that at all cost. Not gonna be easy.

Ace shut his jaw with a click, and silence permeated the clearing, only filled by the crackling fire and the creatures of the forest. Luffy spoke next.

"Gramps, you told me that you were going to be leaving me here, even up to the minute before we met Ace here. Why would you tell me that, if you were so set on staying and changing your plans?" His big eyes, so innocent, looked up at me. Damn, that could be heart-wrenching, Luffy has a natural Puppy Dog Eyes no Jutsu... Hope he doesn't use it to try and get treats or food from me, I will probably break from a concentrated blast of such a dastardly technique.

"I was trying to convince myself Luffy. I was trying to convince myself, that it was still a good idea to leave you both here and only train you on occasion. At the last second, just as I introduced Ace, I was struck by another vision. Ace with a fist through his chest, standing over Luffy protecting him, and the light slowly leaving his eyes." Seeing as I had viewed it as a tragic even in my home universe, it was not hard to cry, even in Garp's body. Slowly, a few tears rolled out, telling the story of the dastardly visions to the two younglings.

They bought what I had said.

I felt a little guilty for lying to the two, but it was real enough and a believable threat that would be reinforced by future encounters. Which I would now train them to overcome, and never underestimate.

"Now, your training begins! Before I am through, you will be able to instruct an admiral on Rokushiki and Haki like they are cadets! Yonkou will be beaten by your fists! Shichibukai, marines and pirates will run if you challenge them!" As I wiped the tears out of my eyes, I reflected on one thing. Getting to be over the top would be one thing I was going to enjoy about being Monkey D. Garp.

~ _3 Years Later~_

Kicking back on a self-made wooden chair, I watched the two brats perform a workout routine. They both wore full body resistance suits, made from one of my raids on Dr. Vegapunk's lab's, and were for training admirals by putting maximum resistance on all aspects of movements so they could train above and beyond their pirate opposition. Both Luffy and Ace were now six feet four inches, and still growing.

I was right about the devil fruit enhancing the physiology and regenerative power of the human body. Like a light version of Bijuu Chakra, it would flood the cells with energy and allow them to heal and improve from their previous copies. Which rapidly increased their capabilities, and, their physical growth.

Each of the brats carried a massive rock on their backs. Luffy was using his arms to tie around the rock, and Ace was trying to make fire whips tangible enough to hold and secure the rock on his back.

"That's enough dawdling. Your rocks are as secure as they will ever be, now GIVE ME TEN MILES!" I picked up my own rock, 3 times the size of their own and with just my ridiculous patented Garp strength, held it on my back. My fingers dug in, just enough to hold it as I took off, my grandsons sprinting before me.

A fun run awaited us, as I chased the boys around the ten mile boundary to the small property I had carved out deep in the temperate islands refuge. I chased them through fields, trees, hills, rivers, and over lakes. Eventually we finished up with 100 weighted squats, 100 weighted sit-ups done over a cliff[Luffy held Ace, Ace held Luffy, and both boys had to hold Garp's legs down as he did his to make sure he didn't fly over the edge], and 100 weighted pushups with the rock on their backs. To finish, I made them do 100 weighted deadlift-to-shoulder presses with their rocks so they would also exercise their lower back and the muscles of the arms and shoulders.

"Alright. You both have come really far in these past few years. Do your kata's, and I will begin outlining our next phase." The terrible two slipped into the first stance of their martial styles, and began to move through the positions, cooling down their muscles and evenly distributing the stretch across their beleaguered forms.

"Since you two have gotten so strong in so short of a time, I've decided to include weapons training. However, we will need to find weapons that are powerful, durable, and awesome enough to compliment you now and in the future. To begin with, one of my plans is to facilitate the construction of a fleet for you two. I originally wanted you to be part of the marines, but I know that cannot come to pass, so better for me to aid one or both of you in your pirate adventures as a Quarter Master and Strategic Officer. I also decided that even if we cannot use something right now, or even ever, it may be a good idea to grab things simply to deny our enemy the usage of an artifact or facility. However, we must not risk exposure, as anonymity is our ally." Both of the kids looked up at me quizzically.

"Anonymity?" Luffy questioned, his face struggling with all the gumption of a teen hitting his hormones. At least he pronounced it right...

"It means we don't want anyone knowing who we are Luffy. Given how strong we are now, it would stand to reason that the Marines and Gorosei would rather kill us all right now. Even if we are not conspiring to overthrow the government, our power is mighty and strong enough to be a threat to the Tenryuubito." There was no humour in Ace's tone, as his stony visage gazed upon the crackling flames.

"Too true my dear boy. Which is why, by the time we get to be publicly known, we must have the backing of power comparable to a Yonkou to ensure we do not get mobbed by Admirals, Buster Calls, and CP detachments. Not an easy thing to do, just look at the Revolutionaries. Rebelling for 11 years, and still little to show for it. With my way, we will gain enough power to become the fifth Yonkou faction, and be ready to grow further." I had projects dancing through my head, as I continued to think about all the people I was going to ensure were assigned t this Supernova crew.

I would ensure Ace didn't leave Luffy, but still developed a relationship with Whitebeard. One, Ace needed a good man to tell him stories of his old man when he was old enough, and Luffy needed to learn what he could from the elder D. Ensuring Koby and Helmeppo joined the crew would be easy enough, and those two could be trained up. I was thinking that I would wait until Loguetown to try and recruit the recollected Alvida, Buggy and co., adding the Buggy Pirates to the Strawhat Armada. Johnny and Yosaku would be dragged along, as I would force Zoro to take being a Sword-master seriously[over 10 years, no disciples? Pull your head out of your ass Zoro, confront your grief, and get with it!].

Following this, I would ensure that Kuro was duelled verbally, coming to accept the necessity of working for Luffy and me, and the importance of bringing his crew and himself out of retirement. Taking him as a protege in strategy and tactics, I would be able to subvert him psychologically. Hopefully. Don Krieg was a nobody, rally only having an interesting suit, and the only thing I needed to do to ensure that Sanji came aboard, was hold Luffy and Ace back for a little bit so they didn't flatten the enemy, and get into a fight with Mihawk which would wreak Barati Restaurant and make Sanji swear eternal pain on them both.

Unlikely. But with Luffy's luck...

Poaching Pearl, Gin, and maybe even some of the crew of Don Krieg would be an easy thing, as long as we showed them honour when outclassing them. The point I would make, is never humiliate your enemies, and you may have a chance of turning them to become your allies.

Krieg, I was going to punch as hard as I could into the sky, in the direction of the nearest marine station. With a message scrawled on his armour, engraved into the surface with my finger.

 _~TO Sengoku~_  
 _~FROM Garp~_  
 _~Enjoying my vacation, hope you are well. Hold down the office for me.~_  
 _~Cheers, Garp~_

And he was going to pay several dozen of his old contacts to have several dozen cameras in Sengoku's office to record his reaction. Even if I wasn't THE Garp, number one I had to keep up appearances, and two I did enjoy a good joke. Sengoku would blow his stack when he finally got news of my whereabouts, and would be completely enraged at my claim that I was on a vacation. I wonder if could get a bet going on the black market to begin betting stakes on various things that could happen when Sengoku blows his stack. How far his scream goes, how much of the office he wrecks, how many windows get blown out and all that... Because one thing was for sure, Sengoku would believe nearly anything coming form Garp as long as he made up for it, but pretending to take a vacation with no prior warning? For ten years?

Not bloody likely. Huh, now that I think about it, I may be able to hear his rage elicit from Marineford all the way to Arlong Park.

Arlong and his Fish Men were a tough case to deal with. Unless I could prove that Luffy, Ace, or I were the champions of a God of the Sea, Arlong would never acknowledge our power. The Fishman was a true racist and believed all Fishmen were superior to Humans. Some of his crew became better later on, but after we defeat them I may have Nami and I go through the defeated to see who would be acceptable on the armada. Nojiko was coming with us, just as Kaya was brought alongside Usopp. I had designs on healing Kaya, using her understanding of nobility to teach a little etiquette and more of the code to the crew, and I thought she would make a great doctor. Nojiko, when paired with Nami, would make an outstanding unconventional weapons team, and I wanted to try and bring out Armament Haki in them so they would be able to achieve a level of strength through rough training that would allow them to stand up to the monsters in this world.

I would find a way to convert Smoker and Tashiggi. First of all, I didn't want to run into them really, but I did want to steal the people that Buggy would bring to the town square. Tashiggi, I could convince to join us, if I could only get Zoro to start telling his story to others who were interested in his swords and the discipline of sword-fighting. Tashiggi was kind, but also vindictive, and would understand if Zoro got a chance to tell her why he had to get a new sword and how he had been gifted them by Kuina and her father after her death.

Zoro would be easy to train, but I had to find a way to get him a devil fruit. I don't know how he accessed so much of his bodies potential, it may have to do with the demon in him, but I was pretty sure that it may have been an unconventional form of Haki. More like raw willpower was pushing his speed, strength, durability, and healing, after witnessing Kuina's funeral. There was also the fact that Zoro had hit his head enough time as a kid, and now the hardheadedness he possessed would make Goku shake his head in sympathy. Which could have lead to his willpower connecting far more to his one principle that he held, that being to become the greatest swords-master in the world. While defining swordsman as he wanted to would give him his ethical boundary, it always included being able to match and surpass an opponents speed, accuracy, techniques, power and stamina to be a true swords-master.

"I am going to take you boys on your first raid." Both sat up straight as their eyes widened, quickly sitting back in apprehension of what they would be doing. I raised an eyebrow, then nodded at them. Their self-control had come far.

"I have found a facility where there are experiments being performed with children and devil fruits. We will be going there to loot, raze and rescue who we can. There is a specific objective that I have in mind, but that is the gist of it for you two. Smash, grab, annihilate. We will use stealth until we secure the children. Then, as long as we protect them, any techniques are authorized and you don't have to hold back." With my final sentence, both grinned at me in anticipation. They had come a long long way with their strength and abilities in the last few years and I was going to see how well I had done in training them.

I wasn't the real Garp, just some schmuck who used to lift weights and read One Peace after all...

So I could only hope I had achieved a correct mix of training that would maximize the advantages the two brats had. In a controlled setting, I could see we had done well, as they could create waves and part the sea to a good depth. But, how were their real instincts when faced with someone who genuinely would enjoy drinking wine from their cleansed skull in front of their sibling just for enjoyment? How would they really handle such pressure? I couldn't levy it on them, no matter how serious I tried to act during training and sparring, I cared too much to see them survive to truly want to throw such murderous intent upon them. Which is why I needed to take them on missions.

As well, I was going to see how Sengoku was dealing with my absence... Hopefully no aneurysm... Or heart attack... Or ulcer... You know what, I didn't want to think about Sengoku until I knew for sure... Probably be pissed no matter what, the man always seemed to find a way to be tense. Most importantly...

"Did I get that betting board set up for when he gets my message?" I pondered this, before shaking my head.

"The method of travel for us will be Ace. You need practice carrying passengers and amplifying your fire for strength and stamina, so this will be good practice. I will stick to your back with Haki, and you can hold Luffy around the waist." Ace outed, as Luffy put on his trademark smile. Face all lit up, eyes closed in genuine innocent joy, and grin that threatened to devour his face. Damn, that kid could tug on the heart strings with the simplest of gestures.

"Hmph. Hope you haven't gotten too fat Gramps." He grinned up at me, as if he was confident in not receiving a rebuke. As a certain Commando named Matrix would say...

"Wrong."

"Urusai!" I snarled, clouting the disrespectful teen brat over the back of his head, which resulted in Ace scrubbing his head in a small crater on the ground while looking furiously up at me. "You know I haven't put on any fat at all brat, so watch it!" I ended with a large finger poking him between the eyes.

With that dealt with, and finally having got the pre-mission jitters out of the two, I had us set out. Ace powered up, calling upon his flame energy to lighten his body, but not burn anything else[especially organics contacting his body who were on his side]. Luffy laughed excitedly as we flew through the skies, his arms spread out and even Ace ended up smiling at his brothers childish amusement. As I sat cross legged on Ace's back, like some weird Kung Fu sage training his apprentice, I couldn't help but close my eyes and snort at Luffy's antics. I still ended up smiling though. The kid was a bundle of sunshine, even in darkness he could shine light on everyone and everything.

It took more than a few hours to fly. I had a unique method of getting to the island, but it depended on whether it worked. As I had gotten it from the black market on the Grand Line in one of my jaunts around the world to scout allies and artifacts, and it was in a shop filled with unique Log Poses. Lo, and behold, there was a Log Pose for Shatterstar Island. Just the island I wanted to get to.

I had racked my brain, and tried to recall if there was anything like Shatterstar in One Peace cannon, but besides Cesar's facility, and the SMILE factory that Donquixote had, I couldn't think of anything from movies, anime, and manga that was like it. Anyway... It was apparently one of Dr. Vegapunk's facilities where he was allowed to experiment with Devil Fruits, Haki, and children of parents with both powers to try and see what kind of second-generation user of either or both powers he could make.

These kids, the ones that I could rescue, would be the foundation for Luffy and Ace's Nakama. And honestly, as we went through the seas, I think I would find a way to get a junior corp of Strawhats to come with us. There were probably more than enough characters like Inari from Naruto, that were the denied the chance to tag along with their idols to learn or train with them because they could barely take care of themselves despite being a hero.

And while they would not be ready for Marineford, or the War of the Best, if I could prolong the break between the series halves... From somewhere between 2 and 3 years, to something like 5 to 7, then the Strawhats could have two generations of dreamers to fight with them. Which would be beneficial in the long run. Why? Competition in the cohabitative spirit can precipitate drive for efficiency in their chosen dream, because of another persons success. Given how bonded and wilful the nakama will be by then, they should all be able to positively respond to another surpassing them. If not, I will have to do some "training sessions".

And just like a certain Namek's sessions, mine were mostly focused on the Art of DODGE!

Plans within plans.

Finally, we were there.

"Alright. See that central tower, behind all the ring-walls?" I pointed out far enough that the boys could ascertain what area I was gesturing at. They both nodded.

"We are going to drop in there. Observe the guard schedule, and I will let you choose when we should drop in." The fire fisted kid nodded. For the next five minutes, the two brats watched the guard patrols, cataloguing blind spots and patterns. Then, Ace gestured for us to go.

We dropped really quietly, landing softly on the parapet. There was a guard, but he was overlooking the compound and bay inlet. Luffy quietly extended his arm, and clonked him over the head with a fist that blew up to the size of the marine's body in a second. Quickly making sure he pulled his hand out of sight, Luffy snagged the guard, and quietly stuffed him by the door. Taking out a vial with a micro-dropper, the rubber kid placed three drops in the mans throat and watched his head loll hard to the side. He would be out for 8 hours now, and we had plenty of time.

Snickering, Ace opened the door, and assessed the corridor. No lenses for camera's, no guards. Hmmm, luck was with us. We began to make our way into the depths of the facility. Soon, we began to approach the first objective.

"Alright, boys, what you are going to see in here will shock and horrify you. I want you to show these kids all the compassion you can, and I want you to try and be their big brothers. They have never had anything but pain, so they need support from GOOD big brothers right now. Am I understood?" Both Ace and Luffy looked shocked and then nodded, as even if they may be jealous because I wanted more kids in the family, they were needed as big brothers[an absolute sacred duty to boys, even if they are bratty and naughty].

With a slam, I thrust the doors open, shocking the occupants. They swung completely open, and ripped off their hinges when they impacted the walls, with a loud booming report sounding off of the compounds walls. Shock emanated from the adults, and children in the room. The adults had a mix of white lab coats, or black body suits on, and the kids were all in cells with glass and steel doors wearing yellow tops and bottoms.

The Cipher Pol that were in the room got over their shock quickly, and began to rush us. I darted forward with inhuman speed and immediately crushed two of the scums heads with my hands, before standing up to my full posture in Maito Gai's Strong Fist opening stance. I signalled with my front hand, with the universal sign to "come and get me", and the rest howled and jumped forward.

Luffy and Ace dealt with the two peripheral attackers, before they even knew what was happening. One second, they were trying to flank me, then they were met with a huge rubberized fist, or a gauntlet of flame. This took them both out of commission, the blunt force trauma and scorching flames too much for them. The two attacking me transformed mid-flight, one gaining a heavily muscled Rhinoceros's skin, horn and bulk, while the other glowed silvery. I punched the Rhino square in the schnoz, and backhanded the Mercury-Man away. Ace dealt with the Mercury-Man, using flames contained and controlled from hurting others, but hot enough burning to vaporize Mercury. The man screamed as he vaporized.

The Rhino was dead before he hit the ground, his hybrid physiology not being able to withstand the strength I levied, his nasal cartilage having shredded his brain like a 12 gauge shell at point blank range.

I looked at the scientists.

"You know... I use to think that it was the people like the Cipher's, the Admirals, and the Marines who were only above the Tenryuubito in being the absolute lowest form of scum on this planet. But then, I heard of you lot. Intellectuals. Scientists. Inventors. And you all think that it is OK to victimize and sacrifice children in the name of advancement? For the few who are rich enough to afford utilizing it to abuse others? You are the near damn equivalent to the apathetic arrogance of the Gorosei and their Tenryuubito... You deserve worse than death... But I am not that cruel." At the end of my sentence, despite having grown more nervous during my speech, the scientists breathed a sigh of relief.

"Which is why I sentence you to immediate execution. Ace, Luffy, make sure they never hurt any children again." I stepped back, as the gathered rats in lab coats instantly grew terrified and began shrieking about how they were only trying to advance science and so what if a few children got hurt, whereupon Luffy and Ace stepped up and smashed them into paste or burned them into ashes. The children were horrified, but I got their attention by beginning to talk in a calm voice as soon as the boys stopped their scene.

"I know what we just did looks really harsh. I know you may not trust us. However, I need to rescue you kids from this facility not just because I plan to sink this island, but because children should never be used as you are. Despite their large sizes, these two tall brats are my 11 and 13 year old grandsons. They would like to be your big brothers, and protect you." As I finished, there was quite a few kids that looked a little excited, and others that looked apprehensive.

"What if we want to go back to our parents?" One such mistrustful kid asked. I smiled.

"I will help any of you locate your parents if you want, and I shall do anything to reunite you if you want. However, I know for a fact that many of your parents are dead, sold you to the government, or are on the run. But I will do what is necessary, and I will not distract you if that is what you truly want." The boy looked slightly relieved, and many of the others relaxed a bit, no longer looking like tense scared cats.

"Alright, we'll do it." One of the larger children stood up, and walked forward. "What's your name, Oyaji?" The brat asked me with a slight grin, and eyes full of mischief. I snorted.

"I am known as Garp, little one."

Luffy and Ace gathered up the children, and led them to the bases highest level. I proceeded to the lowest, where there some things I intended to retrieve. With one hand, I took off the backpack I was wearing, and began to look around the basement for various items. Blueprints, notes on Devil-Fruit abilities, theories on Haki, and more than one Devil-Fruit itself. I finally came upon what I had been searching for.

Having my meta knowledge had proven very useful, the past three years had seen Garp's body acclimate to his physical training extraordinarily well, and his Haki training had been exceptional, but he was still missing the overwhelming nature of a Devil-Fruit in his physiology. While there were cons, there more pros as such. He had decided, with what he knew scientifically and theoretically, to try and find a fruit that controlled Radiation to try and benefit him the most.

Now he had found it. In one gulp, I ate the sour, tangy, lemony, lip-twisting abominably-tasting thing. Immediately, I felt immense changes in my cell structure. I was now accessing radiation of all wavelengths through some fundamental shift in my DNA. Grinning, I began thinking on what I wanted to do.

My eyes glowed green.

 _~Outside with Luffy and Ace~_

"Ne, how long is Garp-oyaji going to be Ace?" The Strawhat wearing rubber-man questioned his older brother, as he began to tie the children to himself for flight utilizing his rubber nature. Ace snorted.

"He didn't say Luffy, only that we needed to get to the roof again, and wait for him." Luffy pouted, and went to retort, before an earth-shaking roar echoed from the depths of the facility. Ace looked at Luffy

"Tie to me right now, I'm taking off. Grandpa can jump to me if needed." Luffy nodded, turning to the children.

"Alright kids, we are going for a trip in the sky!" He stated with a wide grin.

"Like a bird?" One of the younger ones asked with wide eyes and a hand in his mouth.

"Just like that." Luffy gave a sun filled grin to the child, and they grinned back before waving their arms in the air. "Birdy, birdy, birdy." The excited kid repeated. In a few moments, Ace lifted off, taking Luffy and nearly 30 children with him. And not a moment too soon.

Soon after the roar had happened, and Ace had taken flight, the building began to flex slightly, then twist. Then, with an almighty boom, the entire middle of the facility was pulverized into splinters by a massive vertical shock-wave. Having circled to the side of the facility, Ace, Luffy and the children looked at the epicentre.

Standing in a perfect upended conical excavation of the redoubt, was their grandpa...Only his skin was green, his torso and lower legs had burst his outfit, and he was rippling under masses upon masses of dark jade muscles. With his hands clapped together over his head, and furious expression on his face, Garp looked on with grim satisfaction, before leaping out of the crater and stopping in the air beside Ace.

 _~Garp's/My Perspective~_

The amount of gamma radiation in my body was now at a ridiculous level, and because of this I exhibited the characteristics of extreme strength that The Incredible Hulk possessed. While I probably would never be strong enough to become a "Heart of the Monster", "Space Hulk", or "Worldbreaker Hulk", I would be a fair bit stronger than anyone in this dimension, unless they were a genuine god. Since I had known about many things in the field of biology, and accompanying fields before I came to this planet, I was able to crudely form a process where I could access Hulk-like strength and as many other overpowering abilities in one shot as I could, and considering the Devil-Fruit's could offer access to fundamental energies and forces, I figured the Radiation Fruit had to exist. Considering Admiral Blind-san's Gravity fruit, I had searched the ends of the planet during the last three years in my build up to making sure Ace and Luffy were ready.

As well, my fruit wasn't just limited to enhancing my strength with radiation. It also could produce electromagnetic, gravitic and other effects. After all, according to many theoretical physicists, while the Nuclear Strong/Weak, Gravity, and Electromagnetism were fundamental forces arising from Zero-Point/Quantum Fluctuation, they were expressed through radiation. The human body was always interacting with it, just some is more harmful than others. So worth it to get this fruit, as I could now boost my strength, durability, regenerative properties, exhibit various phenomena, shoot energetic beams of charged radiation, and fly. While I was not telekinetic and could not read others minds, I was easily a fair match for an Alpha level telekinetic from Marvel Comics now. I don't know if I would ever reach Omega or Beyond Omega level, but that was one of the goals, because the monsters on this planet do NOT rest.

The kids were looking at me.

And I was revelling in my rage.

Shit

Dropping the visage quickly, I jumped into the air, and pumped gravitic and electromagnetic radiation around my body to give me flight. Quickly approaching Ace, Luffy and the kids, I dropped my expression to neutral.

"You have questions. Ace, you go first. Then Luffy. Then the kids from left to right, one at a time. Go." I stated quickly as we flew away from the Island, which began to collapse into it's centre.

"What did you just do Oyaji?" Uncharacteristic, but OK.

"I grabbed every bit of research, weaponry, fruits, and such that I could get my hands on. It was then I came upon what I was searching primarily for. A fruit I had heard of residing here, for the World Government was not done with researching it's effects. I ate it." Ace's face shifted a few times, but more less, he understood my actions. He knew by now that everything I did was for their survival, even if he couldn't see why right now.

"And that fruit you ate... Let you do that?" Luffy questioned me now, with wide eyes. I nodded.

"Indeed. This fruit is known as the Rad Rad Fruit. It allows me to control radiation in any form. You remember what I told you about the forces of the universe and radiation?" Ace and Luffy nodded while the rest of the kids looked confused.

"Don't worry if you don't know what I am talking about children. I will teach you just as I taught Ace and Luffy. I will make sure personally, that you can defend yourself in this world." I assured them, looking into each of their eyes for a moment, and meeting their troubled glances. Slowly, they all nodded, even the most weary.

"How does radiation increase your strength like that, Oyaji?" One of the smaller kids asked. Great, a brat who is able to pronounce the word radiation, that ones going to be a joy... Who am I kidding, I love teaching nerds, because I'm a nerd at heart.

"It's simple really. I suffuse my muscles, tendons, nervous system, ligaments, circular system, and all the organs I need to with massive amounts of energy that can let the cells take far more strain than they would normally be able too. With that, I created such a powerful clap with my hands, it amplified the sound to the point where the building was blown to pieces. It's a little more complex, but that is the gist of it." The child nodded, and the kids grew silent, thinking about what they could ask me next.

"What else can you do?" The biggest asked me.

"I'm pretty sure I can shoot blasts of energy, fly, and probably increase my strength to lift few mountains and maybe more up. Maybe more." I said assuredly.

During the silence that followed, we arrived back at home. A redoubt, underneath a shack, with a complex big enough to be Marineford. How? Time, strength, and the abilities of a superhuman builder and Haki user. There had been a few close calls, but I had accomplished it over the last 3 years. I just needed an army now.

Well, the first step was made.

I showed them to the bathing facilities and their rooms, and bid them clean up together before heading off to the kitchens and beginning to make dinner. I got Luffy to make the vegetables and pasta, while Ace prepared fruit drinks and deserts, and I got some of our boar meat out for them. A roast, for two hours, should be good. Especially since I was going to nab the vegetables from Ace and stick them in the gravy. Roast-cooked vegetables would make their bellies feel good after so long on whatever those monster's were feeding them. This, washed down with goat's milk, was what dinner would be.

Slowly, the children filed into the dining room, watching as Luffy, Ace, and I finished up the meal preparations and set the table. They watched wide-eyed as it was laden with food, and they were bidden to sit. A they did, the continued to stare at me. My eyes twinkled, as I slowly smiled.

"The only thing I ask you to do, is eat at a pace which will not shower the person next to you with food. As well, don't talk with your mouth full or training will be extra hard." Ace and Luffy stiffened when I said that, reinforcing the detail with the newcomers, as they watched the older two begin to sweat. The kids all grinned and then dug in with gusto.

"What kind of teaching and training were you talking about, Oyaji?" The eldest rescues asked.

"I will be training your mind, your body, and your power. Whatever special ability you have in each area, I will make sure is supplemented by a good understanding of the world, a good physical foundation, and that you exercise your powers in ways you never even considered. This way, you will face and defeat anyone who tries to take advantage of you. I do ask for your loyalty, but only because my teachings are dangerous in the wrong hands, and we have a responsibility with the power and knowledge we possess, to help be the change this world needs. As you well know, there is pain and suffering in the world, and the people who run it, they care not. To change the world, we need to free it. To free it, we need to be a power within it. To be a power within it, we must gather resources, train people, and gain more bases and territory. To do all that, we need to be trained to gain that from those who hold. To be trained to defeat and hold it from those who currently possess it, I must train

They all began to make light banter, and Luffy began to annoy Ace for his leftover food. Things got comfortable, and soon we were heading off to bed. I brought the children into their collaborative room with 30 beds, and sat them down on the centre rug to tell them a bed time story.

"I am going to tell you a story. But I want you think quickly, and amongst yourselves, choose a topic that you want to hear about. The story may or may not be true." I said, smirking as they began to huddle together, and started whispering. Finally, they stood up. One of them came forward.

"We want to hear a story about Magic." She said firmly. I nodded.

"Very well. I shall tell you a tale of creatures and spells, magic and might, gods and monsters. Hear from me children, the struggles of Bruenor Battlehammer and the Dwarves of Mithril Hall, their fight against the Dark Elves of Menzoberranzan, their alliance with the Dale and Ten Towns, the manipulations of Lolth, God-Queen of Spiders, and the freeing of the Demon-God, Demogorgon." With each further admission, the kids eyes grew wider and wider. I ended the story late into the night, telling them of a metal-knight who fell from the heavens with his fantastic companions and weapons, fought ancient daemons and monsters, and had triumphed in the name of those who could not themselves fight[essentially, I told them the story of "Halo: Finishing the Fight" by Red Mage 04, because it was one of the best Dungeons and Dragons stories ever written!]. Eventually, they were all asleep, and Ace, Luffy and I set about making sure they were all tucked in comfortably to their beds, and had soft lit candles providing low light on shelves besides their beds.

Soon, they would know more than pain, as I would teach them to triumph.

The three of us headed back into the kitchen.

"I suppose you two are wondering where the weapons I promised you are?" They nodded, but smirked expectantly, knowing I had not forgotten. They had seen my backpack after all.

"OK, I suppose I have left you in suspense long enough." I reached behind the counter and pulled my massive rucksack out, and rummaged about before grabbing two items.

"Luffy, it was hard for me to get a weapon that would specifically suited for your body and powers... However, I could not find an indestructible cannonball which would teleport back to you every-time you nailed some jerk with it." Luffy and Ace snorted at this, as the idea was perfect, but probably didn't exist. We didn't discount impractical though, this world had so many things hidden in it's dark corners

I handed him a staff.

"This staff is close, however. It can release stored kinetic energy in amplified physical blows, or create pressure waves. With your rubber body, and near mastery of it, I think you can find some way to charge it. I was thinking vibrating your skin and allowing the rubber properties to reverb may work at a high enough intensity..." Luffy accepted the gift with praise in his eyes, and stared at the staff before giving me a hug, which I heartily returned.

I then lifted up a breastplate, and turned to Ace.

"I had a hard time coming up with something for you Ace, that would aid you in combat, help your abilities, and not put a cap on what you can do. Then I found this breastplate mentioned in one of Vegapunk's files. He was making it for Admiral Borsalino." Ace's eyes shone with kleptocratic mischief, excited at being able to deny the light-headed idiot something. I snapped it onto his torso, and it hummed before activating.

"When active, it will automatically skim your fire energy from you in it's most dense, finest controlled state, but it requires your active concentration. This "suit" prototype as it were, was Vegapunk's next step in the Resistance Suit idea. Instead, here he was trying to make sure the subject could get a feel for naturally densifying their energy and finely controlling it, before switching the suit to resist such action so the subject could develop more of their Devil-Fruit muscles. With Kizaru, I don't even want to think what would've happened if he learned to compress light... But with you, Ace, you can start achieving that goal I set out for you... Gassification of everything you come across, even Magma." Ace looked up at me, as I set up the contraption. Miniature suns began to exude from his body, lit up intensely, but giving no heat as they were totally controlled. "Who knows what more you will be able to do..." I trailed off. Ace nodded.

"Now. I suggest you head off to bed. We have a lot to do tomorrow, and it's just the beginning." They nodded, and headed to bed. I stood up, went over to the cupboard, and opened an air tight compartment. A raunchy smell hit my nostrils as I retrieved a water pipe, and a fair amount of some leafy green.

Taking on the world is tough, I thought, as I sat on the roof of my shack, watching the stars. Taking a pull on my bong, I sat there with everything racing through my head. I had completed another step.

But would it be enough?

Only time will tell.

I felt myself start to drift into relaxation and sleep, so I set the perimeter defences on active, and fell asleep with a warm summer wind washing over my face and the stars and moon shining down on me.

 _~3 year Time Skip~_

The kids were ready to begin missions now. They had their own squads as well. Luffy and Ace were now Commanders of Divisions 1 and 2 respectively, but I had forbidden the from naming our organization. Cheekily, they had taken to referring to it as _"The Organization"_ in talk, and it was catching on. Of course, I did have a name, but I was keeping it to myself. It would require several massive conditions to be met first, and probably would not happen until after the time skip. The one where they would be in the Paradise Section of the Grand Line, on the other side of the Red Line. He would let them use _"The Organization"_ for now, as it would add to the mystique when they went public and began acting in the open.

Chakra had been a failure. I had pinned a lot of hopes on trying to obtain a combination of spiritual and physical awakening so the kids could all be super powered without having to develop Haki or eat a devil fruit. I guess that this version of One Piece that I was in, was nowhere close to the Naruto Multiverse...

Huh, wait a second.

I could perform a near-Hulk like transformation, powers worked much like mutations, and there was physical will which was like Chi and Magic... The One Piece Multiverse, or at least the section I was in, was very close to the Marvel Multiverse...

HMMMMMMM. This opened up possibilities.

That would come far down the line though.

So I had experimented with many other things, and continued my experimentation with physical regimes. Saitama's regime had paid off, as I could punch shockwaves out of my fists that would make Saiyan-Saga Goku sweat, and Vegeta tremble just a bit. And it had started to pay off a lot more since I had retrieved the Rad Rad fruit... Maybe suffusing my cells constantly with the exotic radiations I had, gave me access to the insane exotic source that had fed into Saitama. I was nowhere near his upper levels though. I couldn't jump to the moon. I couldn't punch a continent to dust. I couldn't deck Superman...

But I could crush nearly anyone in this universe, physically.

I had also cheated. For the past three years, I had been skipping out once a week, and visited the future Strawhat Crew Members. To Nico Robin, I had left Poneglyphs in the night from M.D.G., alongside notes on how her fruit worked, and what she could do with the biology of it, theories of Haki enhancement and such. To Usopp, I had dropped the blighter into a secret library I had constructed for him, containing both Fiction and Non-Fiction, with instructions that if he read the non-fiction section as hard as he chased after stories, he would be able to be the ultimate sniper and weapon-smith.

To Franky, I had given materials for better cyborg-ery, instructions and manuals on how to run a Mafia better so the Government doesn't notice you, and theories on engineering better energy sources and better materials. Zoro, I had to visit physically, as he was suspicious. So, I had taught him as best as I could, the art of the sword, the art of the fist, and the art of Haki. He had refused a devil fruit, instead trying to develop his Haki even more. Given that Zoro in the series was almost in his prime when Luffy met him, he would be much stronger this time around with Garp having trained him and Haki having been accessible early on.

The thing about Haki and any fictional force, is it's only as well understood as the author wanted it to be, and for their own purposes. Limitations pop up in the weirdest ways, often arbitrarily at the authors insistence. So, working a force as a person in a fictional characters body, in a way that it had not been defined specifically... Was tough, but worth it. As it required an extreme breakdown of knowledge on the human body, it's processes, and how they could abstractually apply their energies to it. Considering that Haki was sheer willpower, it was one of the best energies, because it was pure potential being fed directly into mechanisms which always try to improve[scar tissue becomes tougher than skin].

Basically, Zoro had taught him that Haki could be as useful as Chakra, if applied to the body correctly and if the right training is undertaken.

Nami and Nojiko were both surprised at my appearance after they thought they witnessed Bellemere's death. Bellemere however, had been saved by me. Using a powerful wavelength of radiation, I had placed her in stasis the second she hit the ground, then healed her after Arlong had left. This shocked the two to their core, when they saw Bellemere sitting there in their basement. I had introduced them to the concept of acting, manipulations, and making sure they protected themselves, their family, and their community at all costs. I taught them to fight, to kill, to move stealthily, to use weaponry of any kind, and to use Haki. Their situation was little starker than the others, so I had to ensure that they would get a better leg up. This required a more lethal training package, but I had to ensure the three stayed together. Nojiko and Nami would make an excellent team, and great division commanders of what I envisioned to be my version of Yoruichi Shihoin and Soi-Fon's Sereitei Second Division. Bellemere would make an excellent division commander of a unit organized along the lines of the Marines, but stronger and of better quality. I would never train them to be sex-workers or seducers though. Women could get things accomplished without doing those things. Often the temptation of something was better than the act itself, so if Bellemere needed to get information she would simply look ravishing but never end up doing anything anyway.

Chopper, I had gone to him and the people in his life. The only that would happen now when the Strawhats got to Drum Kingdom, would be to kick Wapol's big free-loading butt. I gave everything I had on genetics, epigenetic processes, evolutionary theories, biology, chemistry, physics, and quantum mechanics to the doctors and witch of the Island. Choppers transformation's would be much more interesting this time around, and may even evolve into something... _More_..

Sanji, and Red Leg Zeff, I had left with several things. First, I had sat down with Old Man Zeff and we proceeded to get drunk with him for the first night, then ended up kicking the living shit out of each other while we were on vodka. In the end, he agreed to my proposal. I had told him of my ideas for _"The Organization"_ , and eventually he saw my way. The idea was to take Baratie with us, and ensure that wherever we went, people could grow their own food and cook wonderful meals. I had planned on Logistics Division, which would include Food, Medicine and more, so it was OK. As well, I had handed over a copy of my library on Haki, training, and other things the Baratie staff could use to prepare. And using my healing abilities, knowledge of cell regeneration, human anatomy, I regrew Red Leg Zeff's stump back to full functionality.

There were now 4 years until the start of cannon. I had many more kids to rescue, and the crew had yet to meet Whitebeard. Maybe it was time for that...

 _~On board the Moby Dick, Paradise, The New World~_

"Gurararara, Garp, I've been told that you were dead!" The gigantic stature of Edward D. Newgate eclipsed even my immense height, as the giant grinned at him... He had to be 12 freakin feet tall. While not as tall as say one of the Giants in the Game of Thrones series, he was taller than Garp's body, standing as it was at 8 and a half feet[and even with his pseudo-Hulk transformation, he only came up to 10 feet].

"Rumours of my death have been greatly... Exaggerated, shall we say?" I replied with a smirk, meeting the mans visage. Newgate let out a massive belly laugh, frightening the children I had brought slightly, before settling down.

"I knew you always would have something to do in case you disappeared. You were too much of a compassionate individual to remain a marine Garp. So, tell me what have you been up to." Edward opened his eyes slightly, and gazed into mine. I raised an eyebrow.

"I have been raising my grandsons, and accumulating more grandchildren. There are many lost children in the world, and I have been saving them." Newgate peered closer at me.

"And training them." The question was left in the air.

Newgate wanted to know if I was planning on using the Children I had saved. And he would probably fight me to free them if I was. He was kind like that.

"Only inasmuch as I train them to defend themselves in this world. I do tell them that eventually I will be drawn into conflict with the world government, and they can choose to leave if they do not want to fight. There is no guilt in loving life." Edward smiled slightly at this. I continued.

"However, I make no illusions about the fact that whether they are with me in my mission or not, the government will most likely chase them. And while I can set them up in places where no one should ever be able to find them, I do not ever recommend this to them. I want them to have people they can rely on, and others they would love to defend." Newgate's lips thinned a little, and he remained silent for half a minute. Then he nodded.

"I see you haven't made the mistakes that your son has. That young Dragon is treading a dark path..." I nodded at the Yonkou's admission.

"Indeed. I have kept track of him closely, and his moves lately have disconcerted me. Whenever we can, we need to try and convert marines. That helps to subvert their entire structure. But Dragon is not doing any good for us there, as he slaughters any marines he comes across, letting them paint all of us as horrible murderers and inspiring more young souls to join up to a fruitless and corrupt cause. He won't listen to me, either, he is convinced of doing things his own way. Well, when my Organization goes into operation fully, he will see how little he is accomplishing and understand why I was so darn critical of him. Hopefully." I closed my eyes, crossing my arms. This was my current conundrum.

No progress with Dragon, at all. My one major failing thus far.

The little brat was stubborn to a fault, much like his old man[of whom I have begun to exhibit a disturbing similarity to in personality, almost like we are merging]. He had no give inside him, and planned on doing things his way and his way only. Damn brat.

"Ehhhhh... Can't catch a break with some brats..." Newgate mused, before turning aside and motioning us below deck to eat with the crew. I walked Ace and Luffy up to him. Both were nearly 7 feet tall now, Ace standing half a foot taller than Luffy as he was farther along in puberty than the 14 year old, just reaching the peak of hormones in his body.

"These two are Gol D. Ace, and Monkey D. Luffy. I know you know more than I do about the Legacy of D, and I am hoping you be willing to share possibly some of that with these two, as well as share some stories from your time aboard The Jolly Roger, when you crewed for the Pirate King." Edward stilled for a moment when I mentioned the will of d, but relaxed significantly when the conversation went to his old Captain, and he looked at Ace with a sympathetic expression.

"We will discuss what you know about that first bit later Garp, but for now I would be pleased to tell these two of what it was like to sail with Gol. D. Roger." The giant nodded, as he began to lead us downstairs to the feasting hall.

The dinner was exceptional, the company amazing. The stories were great, and well received. Finally, I had put the kids into some spare hammocks, Luffy and Ace were passed out having challenged Marko and Shanks to a drinking contest[Shanks had just randomly been sitting there when I had walked into the feast hall], and I was sitting on the deck with Newgate.

"... What exactly, do you know about the will of D, Garp?" Edward looked piercingly at me. I took a pull on a flask of vodka, and looked at the stars.

"Only that it exists. I cannot read Poneglyphs, I have only come across fragmentary research and no proper lexicons, but I have been told by researchers that there is something called the Will of D mentioned a lot. Considering my middle initial is D., and I was never told what it stood for, I decided to try and look further. Nothing. There was no information on it at all." I looked down into Newgate's eyes.

"Almost like it had been erased."

Newgate grimaced. "What you have stumbled upon is one of the lesser secrets of the world. However, the Will of D itself is one of the Higher Secrets. It would not do, to tell you or your grandsons this early on, what the Will of D is all about. I am compelled to see more of your actions, and how you plan to benefit the people before I share such things with you." Edward raised his eyebrows, and snorted. I grinned.

"So integrity and duty to the worlds people is part of it. Intriguing." Newgate's eyebrows shot up, then narrowed while chuckling lowly.

"Gurarara, you ARE an astute one Garp, I don't care what Sengoku says about you... As to what you have surmised, you are right. If seized by the wrong individual, the Will of D could destroy the world, which is why there is such strict requirements." I nodded at his explanation. Made sense. I shifted gears.

"Ace wants to apprentice on your crew for a few years. If you accept, I need Luffy and I to be able to visit him, his students as well, when we want to. He told me that if he was going to be a division commander, he wanted to be the best, and thus wants to learn under Marco. Is there any way you can make this happen?" I said easily, as I adopted a somewhat hopeful face. Newgate remained unreadable for a few moments, before a twinkle appeared in his eyes and he smirked.

"If you are a good person, can be a good brother, and be a dutiful son, then you are welcome on the Moby Dick. Can your grandson do that?" It was then that my expression turned cold.

"Only if you haven't hired or taken on a man named Marshall D. Teach yet." Newgate's expression turned quizzical, but he had recognized the name./

"Why yes, yes I have. Two years ago, in fact, I brought Teach into my crew after passing through a town that was abandoned. Teach said the marines had come and killed everyone, but he had gotten them in the end and buried them in the hills. We found the bodies of marines, and bodies of the villagers there. They were all killed by marine-style cutlasses except one marine which had his neck broken." I nodded along, the story was believable, and from what I understood, Teach had set his alibi perfectly.

Except the idiot was a complete psycho, and as such, they loved to get caught. Which I decided to pull out and give to Newgate.

"This is how I know of the Will of D, Edward. I found these, before the massacre, in his home village. His personal diaries. Detailing how he found a cave of Poneglyphs on the Will of D, how he wanted it's power to control or destroy the world, and how he needed to kill the people of that town and cover it up. You showing up to his island was just lucky for him, as he could use training under a powerful Yonkou and Inheritor of D." Newgate's expression grew stormier, and stormier as I talked, before breaking in a thundercloud of emotion and snatching the offered material away from my hand. Reading through it quickly, he got angry very quickly, before thrusting a hand skyward. A distortion was all I could make out in the blackness of night, then a rumble shook the sky. Just loud enough to be above thunder, not enough to wake anyone, but a massive display of power and emotion it certainly was.

"I am sorry if he's not what you had been told. I was angered when I came across the graves... He killed children, Edward... Babies even. There is no redeeming that one." Edward's eye's closed, and silent tears flowed down his face, for the children he had never known that had been slain. Every child was precious to him, it seemed, and it warmed my heart to see such similar compassion

"... Hooooo, I haven't been this angry in a while Garp. To have on of my own crew, do something like this, and for me to not even know... I nearly gave him access to such things he could have used to accomplish his goal... Whatever form it may be in..." Newgate's contemplation was right on target, as Marshall D. Teach was one slithery individual.

Huh. Edward D. Newgate and Marshall D. Teach... Historically, in my old world, Edward Teach was Blackbeard and one of the most feared Pirates of his age. Even so much that other pirates feared him. His crew loved him, and was a tight-knit group of individuals. So were Edward and Marshall the two sides of the Blackbeard I knew? One that his crew championed, one that his enemies believed in, the Whitebeard and Blackbeard? That would be something interesting to think about later on, as I focused back onto Newgate.

"Alright Newgate, I also have something for you, in recompense for meeting me and agreeing to help with what I'm trying to accomplish." Without warning, my hands shot forward, and I palmed his frontal shoulders. Energy crackled through, as he stiffened but didn't struggle. I bowed my head as powerful energy surged through me, and into the Vibration user.

Edward gasped, as the energy suffused throughout his body, first coating his hair, skin and extremities, then penetrating and bathing his organs, blood, bones, and gristle within, eventually concentrating on removing impurities and giving cells the ability to heal long-term injuries and deficiencies. He began to feel soooo strong, stronger than he had in years. It was like he was back on The Jolly Roger, and he hadn't fought Sengoku in a 3 week long battle. He stretched his arms out, as he began to glow, and his body hummed. The resonance built up, my radiation power harmonizing with his vibration emission, as we healed his body to his absolute potential. He may not have known what I did about the body, and energy, but he knew how to cooperate and match energy flows in intense situations, like a battle. Now he applied it to his body and allowed me to do the work.

I sweated as I forced massive amounts of radiation into The Strongest Man in The World. Not only was I gifting him massive improvement to his body, but he would now be immune to so much types of damage with the radiations I had toughened his body up with... Edward D. Newgate was now truly once more in a state of physicality where he could challenge the world. With a sudden deep shout, we broke the connection, and ceased the energy flow.

Having heard a commotion, Marco, Shanks, Luffy and Ace had come running, and witnessed the final moments. Marco had almost leaped at me, but Luffy had grabbed him and pointed out that Newgate was smiling massively, and standing straighter than he had in a while. After stretching straight to the sky, and cracking his back with a series of almighty pops, Whitebeard snapped forward. He grinned, and laughed.

"Truly, the Oceans shine on our meeting today, Monkey D. Garp!" He exclaimed, grasping me in a one-armed hug. I smirked, and began to laugh alongside him.

"Pops, you okay yo-yoi?" The 1st Division Commander asked apprehensively, worried we had changed his Yonkou. Newgate grinned.

"Never better Marco my boy! Garp here healed me!" Marco became slackjawed.

"Wha-?" Whitebeard dismissed him.

"I am now at the physical level I was, before I fought Sengoku for Three Weeks straight, and I possess the knowledge of all my years. I am now even mightier than before." I poked him in the ribs as I stepped away.

"Good. I don't want to take the title of World's Strongest Man from someone who could've been stronger!" With that exclamation, I concentrated on Gamma Radiation, and infused my cells with massive amounts. Growling as bones, muscles, tendons, organs and such grew and increased in size, the crew assembled watched in wonder as I grew to two feet shorter than Whitebeard, but nearly twice as wide in musculature.

Marco and Whitebeard were both at a loss for words this time. Ace and Luffy were grinning however, knowing what I can do, and had magically manifested a groggy Shanks in between them who was looking suspiciously at me despite being in a drunken stupor. I grinned at him, and pointed at his arm and nodded my head. He looked nervous and shook his head.

"Oh come on you big pansy, it's not gonna hurt you. Luffy, Ace, bring the prisoner forward." Shanks began to give the pretense of struggling mightily, but his heart wasn't there after seeing what happened to Whitebeard, and he was grinning anyway... The two teenage menaces brought him forward, and I repeated the process with Shanks, asking him to concentrate his Haki on his body and returning/improving him to maximum potential of his abilities. It was over in a few flashes, Shanks now flexing his new had experimentally and marvelling at the equal muscle proportions on both his arms, new and old.

"You do damn good work there Garp. Never would've expected a marine to do that for me... Even an ex marine." I opened my mouth to protest, but became silent as he finished up. What a troll.

"That is enough excitement for tonight. We should all head to a hammock and get some rest." I said before motioning us all downstairs. The third deck was sleeping quarters, and we all began to get to bed peacefully.

"Garp, we will discuss Teach's fate tomorrow." Newgate whispered to me before moving to his hammock. I nodded discretely.

Unfortunately, Teach had been awake for some of my conversation early on with Newgate, and had left. Hopefully he hadn't witnessed the light show. He had knocked out the guard to a life boat though, and apparently had stolen a Devil-Fruit.

"That wouldn't happen to have been the _Yami Yami_ [Dark Dark] Fruit would it?" I looked at Ed inquisitively. He shook his head, as he rested against his massive naginata./

"Unknown. It was a dark purple fruit, but we had not discovered anyone who knew what it does. Maybe it could have been the legendary darkness fruit, maybe not." I raised an eyebrow at that exclamation.

"Legendary? Why legendary?" Newgate snorted.

"Apparently, the Darkness fruit can absorb anything you throw at it, being that Darkness absorbs everything." It was my turn to snort. Conceptually, I can make an argument against that.

"Hah. What a crock of shit. There are many things that outright banish the dark. Fire. Light, Stars. Many things exist which can defeat the dark. That is not say it is not powerful. Our powers rely more on willpower and more abstract things then finite fixed concepts... Doflamingo is an example I do not like, but accept as a powerful individual. If you had seen what he did to Vice Admiral Fujitora, you would understand what I mean." Newgate nodded.

"Yes, I had heard that he stopped an entire bombardment of giant space rocks, by cutting them to dust." I nodded.

"They are called Meteor's, Edward, meteor's." Newgate smirked.

"The Garp I knew was not so worldly. Once you were much simpler, you know." His tone carried a hint of a question.

"I realized that my lack of knowledge was letting whippersnappers half my age get one over me, on more than a few fronts. Since I don't tolerate young maggots swaggering around like they know and own all there is in the world, I decided enough was enough with my ignorance and I needed to start knowing a lot more. Of course, it led to me formulating plans, once I found how extensively the parasites are embedded in the world systems." Newgate nodded along with my assessment, agreeing. It was much along the lines of the motions he had went through as a young man, watching all the injustice in the world.

"Hmph. Garp, you have my hand, and those of my sons if there is a battle you need us to stand by you in. As thanks for the good you have done for this crew and it's future. But I will not put my organization underneath yours. If we do things together, it is as partners, agreed." I nodded. There probably wasn't a better combination than the two strongest men in the world. In fact...

Once that combination in the form of Gol D. Roger and Edward D. Newgate had shook the world. And with the Dark King Silvers Rayleigh guiding them, the crew of The Jolly Roger were nigh unstoppable. Newgate was nervous about letting that power into anyone's hands, especially given the nature of Roger's noble sacrifice. One had to live up to the lofty ideals held in Newgate's head, in order to stand in the spot Roger had when he had taken on the world, and was one of the reasons that Newgate had never allied with Monkey D. Dragon.

"Then it's settled. Our "crews" are now blood-brothers and sisters who will come to each others call when in need." Newgate smiled, but started when I said "sisters". Huh, guess the rumours of him not doing well with the opposite sex were true.

"Look, Edward, just because you don't understand girls and women, doesn't mean they cannot be honourable warriors of the sea and be on a ship. Damn the cannonballs an all that bilge-bunk about women being bad luck, it's been my pleasure to serve with some of the most talented men and women to sail the ocean blue. Give it a try, and you will find that your boys and sons will do better with some sisters around to grow up with. Brothers and sisters grow better together. Also. Men grow better with women..." Newgate paled as I tailed off.

"Well I'll be... Is the worlds strongest man afraid of women?!" I laughed in Garp's hearty and teasing tone, as Newgate downright blushed. Hah.

"Ed, you need to get over that. You could use a strong woman in your life, and D knows that you deserve to have a good person in your life who can appreciate you in a way your sons cannot." Ed slowly nodded, after thinking this through. I sighed, and got up, stretching.

"Well, it's been a grand time all around Edward D. Newgate. Give my best to Shanks and tell him to come around when he can. Don't be afraid to call for a good meal." Edward grinned, as I took to the sky and the group joined me. Luffy once again secured the group, and Ace flew them.

"Ace. You are now an apprentice of the 1st Division Commander, Marco. You will report to him with your belongings in one week. I limit you to only your survival gear, and your own weapons and armour. Nothing that cannot be used, is to be brought." Ace nodded, as he began grinning, while going deep into thought about his future apprenticeship.

"Luffy, while Ace is going to be training with Marco, you will training under Shanks. He will be training you in developing your own style for your Bo Staff. He may not be a Bo master, but he is a master of formulating strikes, stances, and calculating the capability of a weapon. I've witnessed him use over a dozen different swords of varying thickness and length, so he could be able to help you develop a style for your staff. And paired with your rubber powers, this will multiply your combat powers many-fold." Luffy nodded in anticipation.

We headed home, and began to plan a new phase of operations. Time to get things started for the cannon...

And that meant for me, that it was TIM THE TOOLMAN TAYLOR TIME! Mentally wringing my hands, I was anticipating doing some "Home Improvement" of my own on the ship[s] we would be using. Oh boyohboyohboyohboy! Anyway, things were going to begin very soon. Time to ramp up recruitment, increase my holdings, and prep the fleet.

That's right. The fleet.

I had planned several ships, totally in excess and radically advanced beyond anything that One Piece had ever seen. The engineer's, shipwrights, fabricators, master smiths, and others I had procured over the last six years had been hard at work studying the materials he had given them on advanced science and technology, building massive ship-yards, processing plants, and refining yards where the materials were directly mined. The island I had grabbed for them, was in the farthest reaches of the East Blue, in areas unknown to the Gorosei, and was perfect for what I wanted.

Over the time of six years, and utilizing the many abilities of Devil-Fruit's we had accumulated, a sizable Mega-Structure was wrought upon the Island. One that even COBRA or perhaps the Ancients would be proud of. Who am I kidding, the Ancients would think I was still a primitive barbarian and COBRA wouldn't blink before trying to steal it... Back to the island.

I called it Tartarus, the island. Because from it's depths, I would launch a second Titanomachy, assail the Gods on their Olympic Mountain, destroy the mewling Marine demi-god overlords and establish a New Order free from such things. From it's depths, Titan's would emerge.

Preliminary ship names had been pulled directly from my world history.

 _Yamato, Musashi, Bismarck, Tirpitz, Iowa, Missouri, Hood, King George V, Potemkin_ , and _Kursk_. Around 800 metres long. Highest refined steel alloy, with titanium, vanadium, iridium[plentiful on this planet, it seemed a lot had crashed into the ocean], and several other alloys to allow it to be resilient and durable. 4 quadruple turrets, carrying 18 Inch guns. 12 secondary 8 inch guns. 20 2 inch Gatling guns. And while he had taken blueprints and actual prototypes of Laser weapons from Vegapunk's lab's, he had held off on using them for now, because he wanted to study them and create something far more powerful... Something that had only been whispered about in his home universe...

These ships would each have 4 300 metre destroyers, 8 submarines, and one carrier. The carriers and planes were a loooooooooong way off from me gathering the needed minds to invent, but the destroyers and submarines were nearly there. In fact I had held off on the planes and carriers for a reason. To see if I could push beyond Bernoulli's principle. I did not know if it could work officially in my old world as reports of it were scant, but being in One Piece made me want to try and find some way to give my forces Antigravity much like what Nick Fury and SHIELD had developed in the Ultimate Marvel Universe.

Yeah, baby, I'm talking fleets of Helicarriers, Helibattleships, Helicruisers and much more. Big Guns in the air!.

We would have to see. For now, watching the launch of these 8 ships is just about the most pleasing thing I have seen in a long time. And I have complete crews for each. The Tirpitz was to be my flag ship, Luffy would be commanding the Hood, and Ace wanted the Yamato for his own. Easily doable, I had brought my entire naval cadre along, and introduced them to the ships they would be manning.

Now, being that this was One Piece and both personnel capabilities and technology were a little different, the internal guts had a much simpler layout and I had managed to cut down the amount of personnel I needed for each ship, but they still managed to need at least 35 people. Since one person could man all the guns, with the computerization I had gained, there really only needed to be an expert marksman running gunnery on each ship, even with their gargantuan size... Any shipwrights/engineers that served aboard would know Haki and Soru[Shave], and would be able to zip around quickly as needed. Navigators would be able to feel the entire ship with enough mastery and understanding of the Armament Haki and Ship Anatomy.

Plus, could you imagine the face of someone like Akainu, after he jumps into the air, sends a magma fist at the ship, it flashes black before the thing hits, and shrugs the explosion completely? Again, he absolutely had to get better surveillance cameras going in his settlement. Some moments that were going to happen were just going to be too much...

My main success in getting ship production, and in general, materials production to happen, was the fact that I had nabbed an Earth Earth Fruit user. One who could literally pull mountains out of the Earth, once well trained enough. He had been one of the children rescued, with the original destruction of Shatterstar Island, and had been proud to be able to aid _"The Organization"_ for his _"Godfather"_.

Maybe I had told them the story of Tony "Scarface" Montana and Don "The Godfather" Corleone one too many times... But it made me from laugh...

"Today, my grandsons, and granddaughters, we begin our momentous mission, only out in the open. Two ships will reconnoitre each of the Blue's, in order to gather definite intel on who is hostile and who is friendly in each region. Each ship will be accompanied by 35 Veteran Division warriors, 2 Lieutenants, and 1 Division Commander. We will not send a whole division into such a situation, because we want only the strongest and most efficient on this run. We are trying to stay low-key, and sending hundreds of troops with each ship will eat resources before you begin your cruise back, and thus once you begin seeking port for supplies, you would garner massive attention... Given that even the Buster Call ships do not possess this size." I gazed over the assembled hand-picked best of their categories and classes.

"But remain on the seas, and we maintain our Maskirovka, for many will think we are the World Government, The Marines, or the Gorosei, running some program to prototype large ships of steel. That is the image we will strive for in the next two years. In two years, the fleet will begin marching across the East Blue, annihilating corruption, and leaving ghosts in it's wake." With a resounding cheer, the sailors all saluted me in the traditional naval fashion, about faced, and boarded their vessels.

The other great success I had stolen from Vegapunk's? Much like the infamous Doctor Gero of Dragonball and Z fame, Vegapunk had invented a form of a perpetual motion reactor, and was using it to power his experiments and constructs, much like the later on display of the Pacifista's. These were at the heart of his industry, and produced the necessary electrical and motive power necessary. One Piece was pretty wicked it seemed. This meant I didn't need anything like oil, gas, and coal, and had no need to refine and play with wind, solar, and hydro-electric[which still contain damaging effects as wind turbines create magnetic distortions that kill bird flocks because their brains fly by aligning ions with the magnetic fields, solar panels are a combination of rare minerals mined in horrific conditions in Africa and any solar panel more efficient than 15% is snapped up by the Advance Warning Classification System which has now ballooned to 10,000+ during Obama's time, and Hydro-electric damaged the biosphere it was in]. I was directly accessing the fluctuations of Quantum Energy that were inherent in the physical universe but said to be hard to cohere. Well, here it had been done.

2 more years until canon. The deck had been stacked as best as I could. And while I had not succeeded like a certain Niidaime Rikudou Sennin had with a reborn Uzushiogakure no Sato in another One Piece Universe I had read about before this bullcrap began, I was slowly moving into position to become as great as his nation.

It was the only way to make the government change in this world, without losing my grandsons, and making sure that it wasn't a series of unconventional events that led to it's abolishment, but rather a revolutionary movement that gave power and protection back to the people.

 _~Chapter End~_

 **Author Note:** This One Piece story is being done as an exercise to improve my interpersonal interactions, while I go about trying new ways to improve my main story, Mantle Across A Starry League. I need to work on my dialogue and character interactions before I go back to that story, as it's a little more to manage than I thought at the time. However, I am back to writing again, and I want to make sure my stories ALL get completed. As well, I already have a great framework for Mantle, and as you can see in this first chapter I have great plans for this story. And while not everything will work, I have fixed the deck quite strongly here.

The Dungeons and Dragons story is a crossover with the Halo 3 game, by Red Mage 04, and is called em"Finishing the Fight"

The Niidaime Rikudou Sennin story I mentioned is by Yami Hateshiginai and called "Rise of the Whirling Tides", which I heartily recommend

Comments welcome. Flames will feed the Eternal Fires of Zom.


	2. Chapter 2-March Through the East

**To Become One with the Rising Tide**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own anything that is from a monetized source, this is a not for profit exercise in fun and pursuit of happiness.

 **Summary:** Ah, shit. I'm in the body of Monkey D. Garp and I've just introduced Luffy to Ace. What am I going to do? Troll Sengoku and the Gorosei? Make Ace and Luffy become Marines and slap Akainu like a bitch? I'm sure I can think of something...

You know that thing that Rick Riordan likes to do with Greek and Roman deity names, y'know, like switch them out over and over again. Thought I would try that with names my character remembers, and have him remember both for some people. Is it cognitive dissonance? Only time will tell.

 **Chapter 2-March through the East**

This evening would be the last. The last free day before the events of canon began. From here on out, it would be a non-stop mission, and while we would get rest... It was probable that we would need to be active and vigilant 24-7 to make sure we succeeded in not only our goals, but in protecting the people we loved and had come to love... What a night.

The stars were out in full force, the ocean of blue reflecting massive amounts of light from the distant starry ways. It was nights like this I had enjoyed back in my first life, and I reminisced as I gazed out into the infinite.

The reconnoitre mission had gone well. The world had been abuzz for nearly a year and a half, talking of massive strange ships out at sea, made entirely of metal, that were only sighted in the Ocean Blue and never near any civilization. A significant buzzing had erupted between _Marineford_ , the _World_ _Government_ , and the _Yonkou_ , as each power tried to find out who was launching these monsters. The populace made their own theories as well, and most had ascribed it to some eccentric noble testing a ship using the massive amounts treasure at their own disposal.

Of course, this had allowed him to move about a bit more freely on any operations that involved territories not directly controlled by detachments of troops from the three aforementioned powers.

"Couldn't sleep eh, Luffy?" I said quietly, as my grandson sidled up beside me, and laid down in one of the lounge chairs. Luffy nodded.

"Sabo is snoring, and Ace grinds his teeth sometimes. So I wanted to come out and see if I could relax. I'm glad you were here Grandpa." The teen-turning-man raised his hands over his head, and clasped them together as he rested his head back. [For those of you who thought I had forgot Sabo, I did not. This is a self-insert, and by having Garp there, Sabo was able to escape the noble permanently without faking his death to Luffy and Ace. Oh, and I most certainly did not threaten the noble in his sleep and told him to stay the heck away from my grandson. Nope, I dindu nuffin.]

"Luffy... I want you to remember, that no matter what happens on our journey from here on out, I love you grandson. It has been a genuine pleasure of mine to have made a good decision regarding raising and training you. I was too... Far too dedicated, blindly at that, to a cause which had long ago fallen to corruption... Luffy, I want you to forgive an old man for not being there during your first years." I looked over at him, with tears in my eyes. The tears were due to my joy at having been able to raise a good kid, and not from the sadness of what Garp had done.

The nearly seven and a half foot kid looked up at me with a serious expression, reading my face, before breaking out in a wide grin. "Gramps, I am thankful for everything you have done for us! I couldn't believe it when you began to train us full time, and I didn't know if what you were talkin' about was real... But when we rescued those kids the first time, that was when I knew the world was as bad of a place as you said." Luffy looked down with sadness, remembering the savagery of the Cipher Pol in attacking them, and the apathy of the scientists. It was a tough thing to try and bear for such a bright and sunny soul.

"I had to do it. I needed you to take the life you have chosen, that of being free, as serious as others who are in power would. Otherwise, both of you, maybe more, would be dead. I cannot abide by that, and I knew I had to show my family the same earnest loyalty that I had shown my career. It was hard to make that choice, as I have many friends in the Marines who are indeed good, and others like Sengoku who need my guidance even if he is my superior. But... For the future of the worlds children, I am willing to fight long, to fight hard, and to never stop fighting until the worlds system is once more based upon respecting the sanctity of life and the rights we have been given by virtue of our free will and creation by God. If the divine created man, then no man can be divine, and thus no man can take away rights granted by our creation from the divine. I mean to make sure that we gain this for all the worlds people, so they have such freedoms." My impassioned monologue had Luffy paying attention the whole way throughout, listening to my every word. Eventually he nodded.

"Right. All kids should be able to be free. It shouldn't be against the law to be happy, if you aren't hurting anyone. Too bad by thinking that, we are pretty much Revolutionaries, right Grandpa?" Luffy grinned, and stared at me, as I began laughing heartily. If he thought I would object at being compared to Dragon, he was only looking at the glass half full with his statement. What I heard was _"I am Me, I am Free"_ , **"Fuck the Police"** and "The Government are Dick-bags".

"Dragon's brand are a little different from us, but yes, according to the _Gorosei,_ _Tenryuubito_ , and _World_ _Government_ , we would definitely be branded as such. Soon, it will happen anyway." Luffy looked a little surprised at my exclamation, but looked interested at what I was alluding to.

"Does this mean you are finally going to tell us what the name of our organization is grandpa?" He grinned in apprehension[wow he grins a lot], and I snorted.

"Soon Luffy, soon." I looked over at my grinning goofball of a grandson. "I will give you a hint. It will be an organization which will oppose not only the corrupt, but defend the liberties of the people. This organization's structure is how I convinced many of the people we will be picking up to join our operation..." Luffy nodded.

We fell into silence, and soon, both of us were asleep. It was time to leave Foosha Village. However, unlike many other stories, this island would never be unprotected again. Some of the more stealthily trained individuals in _"The Organization"_ , I had assigned to a secret bunker here. One equipped with a hydroponics facility, self-sustaining water and food sources, and a place they could ensure protective operations for Foosha Village were performed from.

It was just me and Luffy waving good bye to the good people the next morning. Most of them were out and about for the event, as we had a good reputation for doing hard work for the villagers when it was needed. Mayor Woop Slap[how anyone says that name with a straight face I have no clue, sounds like a war cry that Jackie Chan used in Drunken Master...] was actually giving us a solemn good speech in his sendoff.

"Despite your intentions to be unruly on these seas, I have seen your willingness to aid anyone in need over these years. Despite my wariness, I still wish you good fortune, and that you shall find what you are desperately looking for, out in the Oceans. Take care of yourself, Luffy, and you as well Garp-san." Woop Slap bowed slightly in respect, and Luffy stood up in the boat we were in.

"DON'T YOU WORRY OLD MAN MAYOR, WE WILL MAKE YOU PROUD, AND WE'LL BE SURE NOT TO EMBARASS OUR HUMBLE HOME TOWN! YOU TAKE CARE AND DON'T HAVE A HEART ATTACK NOW!" Luffy's cheeky reply left the mayor spluttering, but there was a small grin on his mouth. I nodded in respect to the man, as he did the same to me.

"Luffy, be sure to eat enough vegetables and fruit with your meals, do NOT just eat meat young MAN!" Makino roared good-naturedly at the knucklehead, as he sheepishly rubbed his head.

"DON'T WORRY MAKINO-CHAN, I KNOW I WON'T STAY STRONG IF I DON'T EAT MY FRUITS AND VEGGIES. YOU TAKE CARE NOW!" The slightly blushing teenager awkwardly looked away from his first crush, even as I waved at her.

"GOOD LUCK LUFFY!"

"TAKE CARE GARP-SAN!"

"BRING US BACK SOME RARE FOOD WHEN YOU VISIT!"

The rest of the towns people came out and began yelling their own goodbyes. Luffy and I at this point were both yelling goodbye and waving at all the people.

First stop, Alvida's ship and Coby.

I wasn't going to stuff mine and my grandsons huge frames into a barrel and take a trek down a whirlpool though, so I decided to track Alvida's ship before launch with my spies. She was two islands over currently, to the west, and did not plan on leaving for a few days. It took us two days to arrive, and just as we finished securing ourselves to the side of her ship, the crew began to come back from a raid.

We made our way into the area where Koby had found Luffy originally. Only a few moments now. And in walked the blighter.

He looked up. And up. And up. Finally staring us in the eyes. Then, he began to stammer and point at us, shaking like a leaf.

"W-wh-who ar-are yo-you guys!? Wh-why are y-you on Alvid-Alvida's ship?" Luffy laughed lightly, leaning forward to peer at the nervous kid.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! And I'm gonna become the King of Pirates!" Coby was shaken from his stupor by the firm declaration from his fellow teen. He began mumbling to himself, shaking his head, saying no nono nonononono over and over again.

"What are you yammering about there youngling?" I spoke for the first time, and he looked at me.

"He'd... He'd have to be insanely powerful to become the Pirate King! And this is only the East Blue! He'd need power, money, SHIPS, and CREWS! How can you possibly make such a declaration without such resources!?" Koby was very clearly disbelieving of any possibilities of Luffy becoming the King, even with his tall stature. Luffy laughed, before clonking the nervous little lamb over the head.

"The Pirate King, Gol. D. Roger, he started with the vest on his back, a straw hat, a sword at his hip, his best friend, and a sack over his shoulder. Knowing that, I cannot do anything but think about surpassing that man! To be as free as he was, to have my own dominion where no one can cause pain and misery, that is my goal in seizing the One Piece and the title of King of All the Ocean Blue's." Luffy declared boldly as he stood up, the door behind Coby banging open.

"WHOSE GOING TO BECOME THE KING OF PIRATES?!" An enraged voice called out from outside the room. I snorted, before grabbing Luffy and Koby, and throwing them out on the deck. Luffy skidded into a heroic pose[Superman, Truth, Justice, Rah rah rah], grinning his huge smile at his enemy, while Coby tumbled into a heap besides him. "That would be ME!" Luffy declared, thumbing his chest, and staring at Alvida expectantly.

"Koby... This LOUT has challenged my authority by EXISTING on my SHIP! Dispose of him immediately!" Alvida demanded, levelling her mace at Luffy's face, sweat dripping from her brow. Coby mumbled something, and she turned her glare upon the short kid.

"What was that you little rat?!" This time, Koby also got nudged by Luffy's foot, pushing him to make his decision. Koby shakily got to his feet, before clearing his throat and pointing at Alvida.

"ALVIDA IS A FAT UGLY BIG NOSED FRECKLED HAG, AND I'M GOING TO JOIN THE MARINES TO ARREST PEOPLE LIKE YOU!" Hmm, he certainly wanted to get his point across.

And whoa, did it ever.

Every pirate, including Alvida, was staring at Koby slackjawed. They couldn't believe such a runt could have said that at all. I began to laugh, and everyone stared at me.

...

...

...

...

"WHAT THE HELL IS "GARP THE FIST" DOING HERE?!"

Everyone began to panic, and in the confusion, Luffy stepped forward and decked Alvida. She lifted off and zoomed over the horizon, just like in the manga... I nodded at Luffy, and he wrapped the entire crew in his rubberized arm, as I took Coby aside.

"I have a proposition for you Koby." He looked at me with suspicion.

"I want to become a Marine, I don't want to be a pirate y'know..." The kid said slowly. I shook my head.

"I hate to stomp on your dream kid. But, by now, you must recognize who I am?" Coby nodded, and I continued. "Good, then think about this. What would it take for the Hero of the Marines, Garp the Fist, to tell a young and ambitious kid to NOT join the marines?!" I finished harshly, before looking deep into the kids eyes. Koby looked apprehensively at me, not sure what to make of my question, and slowly began to look thoughtful.

"Well... It would have to be shocking enough that it crossed several lines for you..." As he talked, I nodded, sighing quietly in memory.

"Children, Coby. The World Government experiments on, and enslaves children. They care not for the collateral they incur. So, I decided that the government needed to be opposed. And, if it was to be opposed, and our fight to be based upon ideals, I would make sure that even in the beginning those I would replace the corruption with... Were charged with the protection and ensuring of the people's liberty and sovereignty." The kid looked more and more interested as my speech went on, and he began to nod alongside my words.

"Well, I understand your reasons for deciding to abandon your post, as I would never agree to anyone doing anything like what you are talking about to anyone younger or even older than me. Nobody deserves to be experimented on by the government that's supposed to be keeping us safe. I had hoped joining the Marines that I would be able to stop the corruption... But, if such an individual as yourself has even abandoned their cause... It makes me more interested in what you have planned, and your own ethos..." He trailed off, looking at me with expectation.

"All in good time." I smiled down at Koby. "I will tell you of our codes, training, but you will have to wait until we are ready to enter Loguetown to learn our name. Not even my grandsons know it,so be patient." And our conversation was off! As we began to sail to the next island, Captain Morgan's base, I kept an eye out for the cruise ship Alvida was supposed to raid... Just in case Nami was pulling a job there, just like OTL-canon, as she would be a welcome addition earlier on.

"I will give you a chance to explain this to me Garp-sama[where in the hell did that come from]." The kid bowed slightly in respect, and sat down besides the ships wheel I was currently manning. Over the time it took to get to the base of the corrupt Marine, Captain Morgan, I had several ethics and philosophical discussions with Coby on inalienable nature of rights vs the uncompromising nature of unfeeling justice, especially once it was used to only serve one class and oppress another. Koby got the hang of debating with me, eventually, and played a good devil's advocate.

Within a few hours, we were there, and despite all accomplished already today, it was only one or two hours after midday. That meant I could run through the whole Zoro thing before we hit the sack in the tavern tonight.

Good.

I didn't want to waste anymore time than necessary with Morgan. Helmeppo, he I could turn into a capable warrior after some strict training, but Morgan wanted a little girls head chopped off because she had scuffled with Helmeppo[which was only of course about his image, and not his son], and was thus totally irredeemable.

I'm just gonna punch him over the horizon, and not worry too much.

Disembarking, I flicked a look at the marines manning the docks. They only seemed interesting in noting that only a few people came off the ship. Guess they were expecting Alvida's crew... Slowly but surely they walked up to us, one carrying a clip board.

"Excuse me, good civilians, but this ship is registered as having been plundered by "Iron Mace" Alvida... How came it into your possession?" The Quartermaster asked casually, as the other marines looked quizzically at the ship itself, and back at our small group.

"Oh, she's on a trip, and will see you next fall." The Marine's face grew surprised, and stared at me for a few moments, then went white.

Hoh, it seems he recognized me.

I raised a hand.

"No need to panic, Marine. Don't overreact, I am here to help." The pale Marine Lieutenant nodded rapidly, trying to form words... "I know about the way that Morgan is running this base, and I'm here to put a stop to it, alright?" I placed a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. The man nodded, and calmed down. I looked at the quartermaster, and held a finger to my lips.

"Boys, begin to gather some intel. Koby, follow Luffy, he will tell you what to do." Luffy looked over at me.

"And what are you gonna be doing Gramps?" He said, began stretching his fingers into various key shapes, hardening them, then resetting the forms. I smirked.

"I'm gonna take a walk by the execution grounds." Luffy nodded, and we both set on our ways. I strode at a leisurely pace, and observed the towns street leading to the grounds in front of the Base's tower. Poverty was rampant here. Misery, strong. Everyone was struggling to make ends meet.

All because of that bastard.

"Captain Morgan is going to raise taxes again, from what I heard."

"Surely not, we can barely make the ones he has already imposed!"

"None of us can survive another hike, it will take all of our business's away and close any hope we have!"

"Oh, why won't someone from Marineford or the Government come deal with this maniac?"

These were just a few of the lines I heard espoused as I walked towards the tower. My resolve hardened

 _"Mustnotgrindtopaste. Mustnotgrindtopaste. Mustnotgrindtopaste."_ This mantra began to repeat in my head, as a smouldering anger built in my chest. I was really going to let him have it... But I had to be patient, because Zolo needed to meet Luffy first and meet him as his Captain[in this case, Commander], as that would begin their relationship the right way. He already knew me, as I had been training him, but he needed that interaction with Luffy. Plus, I just wanted to see if despite the changes I made so far, how much this scene had changed from the manga.

Soon, I stood before the wall, slightly peering over... Man, I felt like Ted from Next Door, from Home Improvement... Now, all I needed to do was wait for Luffy-

"You there! What are you doing looking into my daddy's base!" Of course, it seemed that just wasn't going to happen. I turned my eyes slightly, and spied a skinny, thin, foppish looking blonde, over-exaggerating a finger pointed at me. I began to ignore him, as he strode in my direction, dragging his Marine protective detail with him.

Staring at Zolo, I began to wonder how long it would take until Luffy got here. Helmeppo was now sidling up beside me, and I was desperately trying to mute him out.

"Who do you think you are! Ignoring me like that, you giant commoner? You think just because you're big that you don't need to listen to me? My daddy is the commander of this base, and everyone listens to me or I tell daddy and he drops an axe on them! Listen here, you ignorant lout, stop IGNORI-URK" The little brat continued to whine his way into a rant, and started to yell at me, until in one blinding moment I seized the jerkass puny scrub by his neck and lifted him up to my height. Without even looking at him, I addressed the blustering and reddening Helmeppo.

"Listen here and listen good kid. Nothing is worse in this world than someone who has to get someone else to do their work. If you think you are in control right now because your dads powerful, consider this, does he listen to your suggestions, or is he the one who controls you? The only way you can control things, is controlling yourself kid. If you continue what you're doing, someday you will walk by an alleyway, and catch a spear in the side of the head!" I set him down roughly, and he stumbled around in a stupor, before wandering off muttering underneath his breath.

Something about idiot-old man, stupid giant idiot, damn grampa... Wow, he must be delusional to think I was his grandfather- I stopped there for a second, and then thought about Axe-Hand Morgan. While I knew more about him from the manga than the anime, and had never seen the colour of his hair, I didn't think that it was far from the truth that Morgan could've been Garp's bastard son. They both had similar hair, and even though Garp was a lot larger, Axe-Hand Morgan was not small. Whatever, I shook my head at the kids grumbling, shooed the marines away and turned back to observing Zoro. I was watching his back from my vantage point, as I knew Luffy would eventually get the one spying his front.

There he was. A strawhat peeked over the wall on the other side, and just as Luffy looked over... The little girl with the rice balls hopped over the divide and ran to Zolo to give him some food. Now, I knew for a fact that Zoro was just using this for training, as I had made him strong enough to flatten a corrupt punk like Morgan, but it was nice to see a child such as this one doing something nice for the supposed heartless Demon-Swordsman. Scenes like this can warm a heart.

And since I had already dealt with that schmuck Helmeppo, this scene was lot more tender this time, and both the girl and Zolo had been reduced to tears of happiness in each others company. Luffy gave them more than a few minutes, before he hopped into the compound, and told Zoro that he would get his swords for him, and they would help free the town.

"I may only be a Commander of a Division right now, Zolo, but my goal is to be the King of Pirates. From what I have heard about you, your desire is to be the greatest swordsman on the planet?" Luffy sat in front of the two, and placed his grinning chin and shadowed face upon a raised fist and his knee. Zoro looked at him in astoundment, before smiling.

"Your ambition... It's possibly greater than mine. To be the greatest swordsman, I will have to be able to outdo anything that any other sword user on this planet can do... But you, you aspire to be the greatest, strongest, worthiest Pirate of them all... I have to say, your wish resonates with mine... What is your name?" The tied up bounty hunter looked at Luffy expectantly.

"Shishishishishishi, my name... Is MONKEY D. LUFFFFFFFFFFFY! AND I'MMMMM GONNA BE THE KING OF PIRATES!" Luffy stood up with gusto, and roared out his reply.

"Hahahahaha, I see now! Only the greatest swordsman, may serve with the pirate king, I ACCEPT YOUR OFFER!" With a grin, Zolo tore loose from his bindings, reaching out and clasping the hand of my grandson. Good. The bond had been made, and now these two would grow to be this generations Whitebeard N' Roger. While Ace did great on a team with Luffy, as they were brothers, Zoro and Luffy had a natural resonance to them that I couldn't describe. They fought together rarely in canon, but when they did it was amazing from what I remember.

Huh, that was an Epic Handshake. While not quite Arnold Schwarzenegger "Best handshake Ever" level, it was still a very macho moment.

I headed inside, now carrying Helmeppo over my shoulder as he had passed out from the excitement against the wall at some point, working my way to the kids room. Luffy and Zolo would be heading up the tower to beat the crap out of Morgan, and most likely would take the fight back to the ground... Probably in a rather violent way. So, I should probably get some of Helmeppo's belongings and head on out. Koby needed a good training partner, and now he would have one right off of the bat.

The tower rumbled, as I made my way outside of it, Helmeppo over one shoulder and duffle bag underneath the other arm. I looked up the walls as I exited the tower, and witnessed Luffy and Zoro falling down it's length while exchanging blows with Morgan. While Morgan was hitting them, he was having far less effect in his blows than what Luffy and Zolo inflicted on him. I quickly jumped over the wall, as great chunks of concrete smashed down around the courtyard.

 **WHAM**

Luffy and Zoro piledrived the idiot into the ground, so it didn't matter anyway, but that was the end of Captain Axe-Hand Morgan's idiocy...

The townspeople gathered to celebrate afterwards, and even though some glowered at Helmeppo, they accepted my explanation that he was going to turn over a new leaf and start trying to defend the weak. Luffy and Zolo soaked up all the attention, while both Coby and the local Marines hounded me. I left the crowds to deal with Zoro and Luffy, and brought the Marines and Koby to a quieter section of the tavern, that no one was occupying.

"Alright. Ask your questions." They began to fire away.

"Why did you leave the Marines Garp-sama?"

"What are you doing siding with people like Roronoa Zolo?"

And on and on. Eventually I got them up to speed to much the same level that Coby knew. Then we began to explore the idea of them possibly defecting/joining another organization. At first, they outright refused, despite having such a corrupt captain in charge of them. However, he got them to come around, giving them his own stories on corruption in the marines and why he had made these choices in deciding to deal with problems he had witnessed once and for all. Slowly but surely, they acclimated to my idea. Especially when I laid out the training programs and the organizations intent to not misuse it's soldiers as cannon fodder, they were impressed.

By the end of the night, I finished outlining the description of my organization's functions, it's roles, it's supports, and it's systems of training. The lads came to the conclusion that I had a pretty good plan, and that indeed the situation called for action of some kind, otherwise the world would continue sliding into absolute slavery and take the last few steps into 1,000 years of darkness...

Over the next week, while we planned our trip to Usopp's and Kaya's village, I trained and assessed the _Marines_ , Koby and Helmeppo's level of ability and the fortresses defence capabilities. Troops from _"The Organization"_ arrived, and began to bolster the staff, while also having undercover suits and intelligence suits permeate the locale.

My first operational public base, carved from the _Marines_ and _World Government's_ flesh. That, was a great pleasure.

Eventually, we began to move out, the former Marines staying a training with my people and forming a new protective entity in Morgan's old town. By the time any marines got there, they would be far stronger than any asset that Marineford would want to risk for a little while given that I'm gonna be stirring a ruckus up, with the Bismarck.

Speaking of which. Time to introduce the newer crew to their ship.

"Alright boys, I know this will come as a surprise to you, but do not freak out when you see the ship we will be travelling on. It's a personal invention of mine, one of many, which will assure our superiority." I told the two, as I held their shoulders and pointed their heads in the direction of the harbour.

"Behold... The **Bismarck**."

Then she rode into view.

Gleaming steel behemoth. Floating fortress proudly displaying masses of cannon. Titan of the Ocean. As the 800 metre long ship came close enough for us to board with our torpedo boat, Helmeppo, Zoro, and Coby's faces had gone very slack at the sight of the massive ship, and were looking on in awe as they boarded. I gave them a tour, introduced them to the running crew, defence detachment, and showed them to the mess. After a quick meal, they spent a few minutes drinking some rum and vodka, before going to sleep.

Kaya's village was in sight, after a few days of sailing.

The boys marvelled at the time we made between islands. I explained as best as I could, that the ship used a form of artificial lightning, and turned blades that pushed water at it's rear to generate thrust for the massive construct. That satisfied them well enough, but I knew there were going to be more pointed questions in the future. I would of course teach the new ones as well as I had the others.

Now, we had arrived and of course Usopp was there,waiting for our landing party.

"HALT! I AM THE LEGENDARY CAPTAIN USOPP! I RULE THIS VILLAGE! BEHIND ME STAND 10 MILLION MEN READY TO ATTACK! GIVE UP PIRATES, OR BE DESTROYED!" The eccentric sniper roared out in challenge at our shore party.

Luffy and Zolo laughed at the challenge, and began running at the blustering sniper.

"GWOOOAAAHHH!" The long-nosed sharpshooter exclaimed, as he began fumbling for some projectiles and his super-slingshot, stumbling backwards. Usopp was unprepared for the actions of the two, and could wet his pants if they jumped him... So I intervened.[His slingshot, rather than the simple one he started with, was a large U-Joint with a handhold welded to the centre, and a super-heavy duty elastic tied across it. Y'know, the ones you've seen in videos with that short german dude who put ballbearings through skulls on Zombies Go Boom?]

"Luffy, Zoro, that is enough!" My gravelly voice cut across the shore, immediately putting a stop to the two's mischief. Usopp steadied his legs, then caught site of me.

"GARP-OYAJI! It's YOU!" Usopp began running towards me, with a grin on his face, and tears in his eye. I held out my arms, as he crashed into me.

"Yes my boy. I'm glad to see your doing a good and vigilant job by trying to protect your village! Although, you need to work a little on the embellishments..." I ruffled his hair, with a slight sweat-drop of my own. Ten million was a bit much of a count. Even Alabasta doesn't have that many citizens. Usopp blushed lightly, before looking up at me.

"Are you here to stay this time oyaji? Kaya's much better now, and she has begun taking long walks in the garden. That Klahadore is still an absolute jerk however..." The bandana'd menace finished with a pout. I chuckled again.

"It is actually time for you to leave my boy. We are here to pick you and Kaya up. It's now time to head to the Grand Line." I smiled as the grin on his face went from sunflower to megawatt, and he nearly shook with excitement. He clenched his hands, and looked ready to scream

I remember I used to get excited about things this much too.

"AWESOME! Wait until I tell Miss Kaya, she will love this. Will we be taking the **Going Merry**?" My thoughts screeched to a halt...

Oh shit.

How was I going to explain to him that we already had a ship? Without making it sound like the **Going Merry** was a completely inferior model... Damnit.

"Not exactly my boy. Y'see, we had already gotten some of our own ships built, and we've designed them for long term missions to be able to oppose any type of opposition. The Merry, well I don't want to put an artwork like her up against something like a Buster Call ship. I appreciate yours and Miss Kaya's initiative with this Usopp, but I wouldn't condemn such a well-made ship to death by making it sail with us..." Usopp frowned, and looked up at me with a serious expression. For a minute, he was unreadable, pressing me with his searching eyes. Then, he cocked his head.

"Oyaji, why is your ship able to handle the journey better?" He crinkled his eyes in his best "detective" face he had tried to use on me before, and I grinned. I then leaned down, pointed his head out to see and bid him to fish his looking glass out of his pocket. After sighting him in, I stood up and waited for him to find the **Bismarck** , then when he did, I answered his question. "Because my ships are made of metal, my boy."

"Whoa." He had caught sight of the big metal beastie. I left him to drink in it's lines, and structure. The weaponeer in him would be asking a lot of internal questions, pouring over it's visuals, oblivious to anything around him. "Alright boys, we will make camp here. Zolo, you head to Miss Kaya's place and announce our presence to her. If Klahadore gets in your way, ignore him, sidestep him, and only speak to Kaya. Do not engage him in any way, and absolutely do not react to anything he says to bait you." With my careful instructions delegated, we all set about our duties.

I began setting up a barbecue pit, and began pulling utensils and cooking items from my rucksack. Some smoked meat, cabbage, potato's, peppers, carrots, and tomato's would do for a good solid meal. Zoro set down the keg he was carrying, before jogging off towards the town. I opened it's sealed tap with a pop, pouring out fresh juice for when everyone sat down. And once everyone had finished and arrived, we sat down to eat.

"Zolo tells me that you want us to uproot and join your crew Garp-oyaji. Is this true?" Kaya asked in her smooth voice. I raised an eyebrow. She continued. "Are you sure now is the time to begin the plans you had talked with me about?" Kaya wasn't challenging my views, but she was advising caution because of the people who were going to get caught up in this... All of this. I nodded.

"Indeed, I have thought long and hard about the time to begin. With the way I have set up our journey however, we will maintain focus upon our ship while the operations proceed apace in the background. By the time the _Marines_ , _Gorosei_ , and the _World Government_ know what we are doing, I will have the East Blue secure. Then, they will have to chase us through the Grand Line, where they won't be able to mob us with ships because of the geomagnetic distortions present there." Kaya and the others paid close attention to my expose, and were nodding with my words by the end of my spiel.

The lady of the room closed her eyes, and sat back to think. She was silent for more than a few minutes, as everyone made light banter. Finally she opened her eyes, and looked into mine. "Alright. I believe in you, and I agree to come with the Strawhats on this journey. Usopp will have to answer for himself though"-"I AM READY TO GO OUT TO SEA!" Kaya spoke her answer, and Usopp quickly followed with his declaration.

Well, it seemed that the only thing I would need to deal with would be Kuro and his crew now.

Was that battle so important to the Straw Hats, that it needed to happen exactly as it happened in canon? Probably not, considering it was only Nami, Zoro and Luffy while Usopp still technically lived on the island at the time. I mean, what, he was only really mentioned once Luffy's bounty had been posted in the East Blue, and the Strawhats had passed through Loguetown... Eh, maybe I could bounce his transition to my strategist along with... _Persuasion_.

I left the newly increased Strawhats within the tavern, and headed towards Kaya's mansion.

 _~Miss Kaya's Estate~_

The large house was silent, for the most part, as the servants were at home and Miss Kaya was out. One sound could be heard though. A slight snickering coming from a lone individual, as he stared out the window. Slicked back black hair, round framed glasses, a somewhat elvish complexion and dressed in highly fashionable cultured clothes. Kuro of the Thousand Plans allowed himself a moment of jolliness, as he contemplated his soon-to-be-complete _magnum opus_. If he played this right, his family could become royalty in these lands, and the dratted _World Government_ would never even know.

Lacing his fingers behind his back, he began to muse on how he would build the already sizable fortune of Kaya's family, into one that could establish control over these lands. Subtly of course, can't have the plebeians knowing whats going on.

A noise behind him brought the devious Pirate Captain back to the present. A glimmer escaping his glasses[like in most anime, lol cartoon-physics], he palmed his cat blades, spinning around to slice whoever had snuck up on him to ribbons.

 **CLANG**

Except an absolutely massive forearm blocked his strike.

Wait, he had no armour on. Kuro's brow furrowed.

 _"Impossible."_ Rang through his head. Springing to the side, he put some distance between himself and the newcomer.

"Who and WHAT are you?! No one could've stopped my blades with just their bare skin!" The excited pirate sneered at the tall individual. Kuro's eyes were slowly drawn to the mans face.

"Im-Impossible! You're supposed to be dead!" The once steel-spined Kuro of the Thousand Plans was now reduced to a gibbering mass of terror in my presence. Well, Garp the Fist was known for brutally beating up pirates with just his knuckle-bombs, so it's understandable. I smirked at his fear, not really enjoying it, but letting him terrify himself. Most cowards died a thousand deaths before they faced the end, an old proverb had told me in my past life, and it was a useful tactic against people like Kuro.

"Well Kuro, the real question you should be asking yourself, is if I am supposed to be dead then what am I doing here talking to you?" I narrowed my eyes in his direction, while keeping my face neutral. Kuro sweated visibly.

"Th-that is a good question. Why indeed, then, are you menacing me right now Garp-sama." Oh this one was goood, trying to give the presentable attitude of a cultured pirate, but it wasn't going to work. I know that people were able to trust Kuro for as long as they didn't turn their back towards him, because those that did always ended up with his "cat's claws" embedded in their backs.

"Kuro, I know you would soon as call me "Lord", as you would stick those oversized turkey cutters in my back. SO LISTEN UP! And listen good... Because I am only going to say this once. Join me as a freelance contractor, alongside your crew, or I will bury you in an unmarked grave on this island." Kuro's eyes widened, before his head fell forward.

"B-bu-but! I want to retire... I am so tired of being chased! And the only way you can retire and be free, is to posses money and land! Surely you can see the genius of my plan!" His eyes began to widen, enraged at the possibility I was wrenching his destiny from him.

"Kuro, you thought farther ahead than most, and I applaud you for that." That set him for a loop, he was a little confused as to why I was praising him, when I had just threatened to bury him and his followers in unmarked graves. Well, with Kuro, conversations were battles and Psychological Operations was the primary dialectic they operated through. "While you are being a little selfish, I understand the need and want to be free these days, I also understand that loyalty and family should go hand in hand with that. It is easy to be free and alone. There are many that do so... But to be free, and raise a family, is hard in this world. Marines, Pirates, Nobles, Cipher Pol and all the rest make it very difficult to have anything nice and be left alone." Kuro nodded slightly at what I was saying. Maybe I could convince him to come 'round and be a little nicer.

I had guessed that his persona, like many in this world, were all formed through some traumatizing experiences and had developed their cynicism, abilities and tendencies to kill as reflexes to protect themselves from the oppression of the World Government. So, if I could needle into their fear, and turn it to hope, I may be able to recruit some of the villains. While some villains were more psychopathic and even downright Malthusian[That little brat Kidd was a great example, massacring people because they didn't believe he could be the Pirate King, what a little punk!] in reasoning and rhetoric, it was apparent that a lot of the villains here were on their path because of the oppression they faced.

A long shot for sure, but most of the people I had that would interact with any recruits would outclass them for a long time... At least until some way down the Grand Line.

"So, what are you saying Garp? I should join you and become a subordinate in what you are doing, without even knowing your plans, structure and such? How naive do you think I really am?" Kuro narrowed one eye while raising the eyebrow of the other, and cocked his head. I shook my own, and smirked in amusement.

"Don't be trying to put words in my mouth, you silver-tongued monkeys ass. I said that I am prepared to offer you an observer position in my Organization, but I will not let you go and keep on weaving a web around this isle much less the East Blue itself. Tell me what you think, in three days... Oh and do be a good captain to your subordinates and tell them of my offer." I turned and began to leave, even as Kuro put away his claws.

"3 days... I agree to your terms Garp-sama." Without a word, we both left the room, and went our separate ways. For now.

As it turned out, that Usopp was far more popular in town and to the townspeople, than the canon timeline. Which happened to be my fault, because despite the fact that he still over-exaggerated, he happened to have become a great storyteller for the children and adults alike. Every night he would be in town, telling them something new about some noble cause in a far off land, or a great quest against all odds, or vast sea battles between powerful nations in time gone by. Everyone knew they were just stories, but really appreciated the flavour and spin he put on them, as he was able to make most of his stories relevant to their everyday lives./

When I returned, I found the crew sitting around an Usopp that was regaling a significant crowd.

"-and within that one moment, destiny acted. Between those two tiny creatures, did the fate of the lands rest. As Gollum wrenched the Ring of Power from Frodo, the little Hobbit let go, sending both the Ring and the faithless scum with it. As the Ring hit the surface of the lava, one thought it would almost resist the lava of the mountain. Gollum was instantly fried and dead, disappearing beneath the reddish-gold surface. The Ring sat there for a few scant moments... Then, with a bright light shining from it's intricately carved inscription, it melted into a puddle of gold. The Dark Lord's power, was now broken." The people started clapping and cheering, loving his oration, and praising his story-telling skills. Kids were asking him all sorts of questions, about the Fellowship, about Aragorn and so on.

"You are such a wonderful young man Usopp-kun!"

"Outstanding story my boy!"

"Usopp, Usopp, Usopp, please tell us more about Rohan and the Rohirrim!"

"No, I wanna hear about the Rangers of the North!"

Usopp was taking it graciously, and hadn't even begun boasting yet. I guess he had developed better connections with the village this time, and didn't need to fill his time with fanciful lies to get attention, but rather has been telling fanciful that people have begun to appreciate. Good, good.

"Thanks very much Mr. Sung. Oh, you are too kind Mrs. Vega! Thanks very much Runo and Tuck, I'm glad you liked the story about Middle-Earth." Kindly, he met each of their statements, questions and praise. Hmm. It seemed like this version of Usopp was a little more humble. Which was good, in my point of view, because he didn't take things seriously enough and could've gotten killed half a dozen times by more ruthless opponents.

An older gentleman sat down besides me. Must be the mayor.

"So... You are the one who took Usopp under your wing..." He peered curiously at me. I raised an eyebrow

"Yes, yes I am." The old man remained pensive, not sure on how to respond, before giving a reply.

"How did... How did you turn him around? From a liar and son of a pirate... To a great hunter and orator!" A second brow joined my first one, in surprise this time. Usopp was a hunter?

"Hunter? When did he accomplish that? I've only taught him storytelling." The mayor furrowed his brow.

"Usopp has been hunting for our town, for nearly 3 years now... He always brings back a boar, deer, wolf or bear that he runs into when he is out in the wild. Sometimes he disappears there for more than two weeks..." Oh, now that was interesting. I guess giving him a library of books, with both stories and practical skills, had resulted in him trying to enact some of the excursions his hero's had gone on. Good thing I had included several books on survival, trapping, smoking, preserving, and such. I looked over at Usopp, who met my gaze within a moment. I looked questioningly at him, giving the gimlet eye, and he nodded. We would visit his home tomorrow then.

"Well then... I am glad I have inspired him to not only make sure he isn't a burden on the village, but to share if he has extra. I am glad I taught him so well." The mayor nodded, a smile slowly forming on his face.

"Indeed you have. And we are all the richer for it. So, I must thank you Garp of the Legendary Fist, for raising such a good man. For now, Usopp will become a man, and sail the seas with you. Make sure you protect him out there, monsters frequent the waters these days..." With that, the old man got up, and I bemusedly watched him walk away. Kaya now sidled up to join me.

"Garp-san, are you alright?" She asked, as she set down a glass of wine for herself, and passed me a tankard. I sipped it lightly, enjoying the ale, and nodded.

"I am better than I have been in a long time Miss Kaya. Slowly, my grandchildren are bringing a large family together that can protect each other, and make sure no one else can hurt them. I am just now, finding myself pleasantly surprised, that they are all doing a little better than I expected and finding ways to surprise me even at this point. Usopp being able to survive in the wild, and already taking his own steps to become a great warrior, brings pride to my heart. It means I have done well in instructing my charges to take the initiative, and that they know how to rely on their own sound judgment." Kaya smiled, closed her eyes in thought, and nodded.

"Indeed, you should be proud. Despite his time telling lies as a younger child, he really has come far. No one in town can tell a half-decent story compared to him, his furs, skins, and food are all well-received around the way, and no one would refuse him aid if he asked. He is a valued part of the settlement. Is he ready to leave all that, however?" I looked over at her, seeing that she had a serious look on her face, and looked across the room at Usopp.

"He may be readier than I know, if he has come this far... I think, given what you have told me about his hunting trips, he has been preparing for the sea for a long time. It may even excite him as well, given that he will have other companions there to share the journey, rather than be alone in the wild." She smiled at that, looking over at Usopp as well.

"Indeed. Do you think it will be as fantastic and as dangerous as everyone else says?" I snorted.

"My dear, when I was a Marine, I lived on the Grand Line, right at the area where the Line transitions into the New World. The Grand Line's legends and stories, if anything, downplay everything that happens and can happen in that part of the world. I've seen things so incredible, happen in such rapid succession, that no one else would even say they existed at all because their world cannot comprehend the reality of mine." Kaya looked a little surprised, and worried, at that declaration.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything that can take advantage of you, even get close. It is my responsibility to protect those precious to me and my family, and as the strongest, I need to be able to smack around those who are intent on doing as such." Kaya looked worried, but then set her face neutrally and nodded.

"I can accept that. As long as you try your hardest Garp-san, I will always enjoy being with your family." Kaya sat back, with a small smile on my face as I looked over at her bemusedly.

"Being with? Kaya, you are a precious person to Usopp, you are already apart of the family! Don't separate yourself, you belong on the seas with him and the rest of us!" Kaya looked up in astonishment. I guess the rich can be lonely. This will make her life a lot better then...

"Th-T-thank You Garp-san! You really mean it?" She asked sheepishly, as she looked nervously at Usopp.

"Of course, dear Ms. Kaya! Just because you are not physically as strong as some of us, does not diminish what you can do. Usopp has told me that you are quite the doctor and have learned extensively about anatomy and bodily processes. That makes you skilled in your own way! And don't worry, I will find a way to ensure that you are strong enough to protect yourself." Kaya blushed at my praise, glancing away in embarrassment, holding her cheeks within her hands.

"You really think so?" I nodded seriously.

"Miss Kaya, the most effective fighters on this planet do not rely on power. For the longest time, it wasn't my power that made others wary of me, it was the fact that I really don't have any weaknesses[besides seawater these days], and I could levy my overwhelming strength in a nature surgical enough to bring them down. My Meteor Fist, was literally just me throwing a cannonball as hard as I could at body parts which were more necessary to bodily function than others around them. Like, neck, the kidneys, intestines, pelvis and such." I wrung my hands as I talked, immersed in Garp's memories of physical combat and only using sheer strength to win battles against Whitebeard, Gol D. Roger, Shakky[is that the dude with half a ships wheel stuck in his head?], and others. Kaya nodded. I held up my hand, and it glowed a deep jade.

"And now... I'm stronger than I have ever been. I may be weak to sea water, but the power I possess and how I can apply it, are a greater sum total than the ability I used to have." I let go of the Gamma radiations, and looked at her. "Do you believe in my ability to protect my family?"

Kaya still looked a little uncertain. I smiled.

"I know it takes a lot of Faith to do such a thing. Oftentimes, we have no faith in others abilities to protect, and little to no trust in them as well. However Faith is a good thing to develop. Why?" She looked curiously up at me. "Because it relies entirely on your own belief. Unlike Disease, Faith is a Choice. Is ye Choose to be Faithful to a Ruinous Power, ye shall never be able to claim the protection of Disease and therefore be bereft of the compassion of humanity. If you develop your faith and base it on being a good person to others, then your faith will be rewarded by others having faith in your good acts. Faith doesn't have to be completely about God's, Worship, Church's, Saints, Angels and Devils... It can be much more than that, and is something that I think is intrinsic to the human identity." My philosophical expose left Kaya speechless and looking appreciative at my deep introspection into Faith and it's natural inclusiveness in human nature.

"That is... That is an interesting point of view on the subject Garp-san... Is that why you hate pirates so much?" Snorting again, this time in disdain, I looked over at her.

"Well, it's not pirates I hate, and not marines... It's the people who choose to not only make a choice to serve only their selfish functions, but those who choose to not even be neutral to others so they can abuse them for their own gain. Narcissism, Greed and others are what I look at as Ruinous Powers... Due to the fact that they do not contribute to the advancement of human civilization, only segregation through the conflict they generate..." Intrigued, she drank up what I was saying, hanging on to my words. I guess she was one of those types who actually listened to the elderly...

"With that being sad, enough of this dreary talk, let us join in the larger conversations and take part in the merriment. While we will have each other on the voyage, it will not be often that our crew will be part of such a large get together! Shoo, shoo." I motioned away the younger woman, and waited until she left. This large party was going to be very enjoyable, and I was going to revel in the next three days.

It all went by so fast, the amount of merriment shared was excessive but warranted, and all people from all the town over came to join in the 3 day long festivities. People were billeted, story times rolled throughout the day, the food, jolliness and beer flowed well. Soon, though, it was nearly time to meet Kuro. I got a four hour nap in before the meeting time, and once I got up and made sure no one was paying attention to me, I headed out.

I made my way to our designated meeting point, expecting that the man was going to try an ambush, but still hopeful that I could save some of them. Using my Devil-Fruit, I extended my senses to the background radiation of the forest. 38 signatures. Wow, his crew really had taken some hits, I remember that there was supposed be something like a couple hundred pirates in Kuro's crew. Maybe something had hunted them to this point... Or maybe he was just a douchebag.

We'll see.

"Come out, Kuro of the Thousand Plans, I know you and your crew are here... Time to make your choice." I crossed my arms, and waited for him to appear. With a moments pause, he slithered from the blackness, his glasses shining in the light of a crescent moon, the grin on his face a very near vintage caricature of what one would term _cheshire_.

"Garp the Fist... You've given me quite the ultimatum..." Walking into full view, Kuro displayed his cat's claws openly, and set his curled up fists upon his hip. His crew walked out until they were only half in the shadows, letting Kuro take front and centre.

"It is not like I have a choice Kuro... You are far too wily and ambitious to leave alone. If I lose my campaign, you will cause havoc for the government, but will ultimately die. If I am successful and you get away, I am left to expect attacks from you in the future because your greed is far too strong. So, you see my conundrum..." Kuro nodded, even as his jaw flexed in silent anger. He had to keep it tamped down though, Garp the Fist was legendary, strong beyond measure. Some had said that he even took an axe to the face while sleeping, and had not even been hurt[an homage to the canon interaction between Morgan and Garp. Here, it is just a story, albeit believable]. Kuro couldn't afford to underestimate him, even if it meant giving up a part of who he was.

"It doesn't mean I like it. What could you possibly offer me, for my persona to allow these changes, how do I know this isn't your way of directly... Indenturing me to your service, so to say... I may be ambitious, but I despise slavery Garp." Kuro's eyes hardened, as he made his query to me. I looked at him approvingly, as I had hoped he would ask a question like that.

Having given him enough of an understanding that I wouldn't shed a tear to kill him and his crew, his mind, that big analytical brain of his had turned to analyzing why I had offered him a chance to live. Now I would answer it. Some people just needed a little validation, after all.

"Because I think that one, you have potential, and two, you can all be good men. Yes, you steal and are responsible for killing more than a few people, but from what I've tracked on your group... It was more for wealth. Which means, if I can give you the true wealth you desire, you can develop and evolve in a far better environment. Your strategic mind is excellent Kuro, your First Mate's Hypnotism is incredible as it is a completely self-developed skill. The Nyan Bro's are a little too theatrical, but have great wells of untapped power. Your crew overall is quite hardy for a place like the East Blue." The pirates looked at each other in surprise.

"Really?"

"You mean that Garp-sama?"

"Wow, I never knew I could be a good man..."

"No way, Captain Kuro is the fastest!"

And so forth.

"I do mean it. I am the most real motherfucker you shits will ever meet." I grimaced widely at the nervous pirates, and they shuffled uneasily. "That being said, yes, you do have potential. Yes, you can have the good life, be free, and enjoy happiness as all people should. You would make a fine addition to my second division. All of you have the hallmarks of becoming a well-organized Assassination Platoon. My Second Division is made for just such individuals." Kuro raised an eyebrow.

"Limitations?" I smirked, knowing where this was going. The idea had been established as sound, now we were haggling over price[and when in the bloody hell had I become Captain Jack Sparrow?].

"No collateral, or civilian damage, unless they are collaborators. Even then, I prefer exposure and humiliation to give the locals justice." Kuro stilled, then looked over his troops.

"Accommodations, and Pay?" Raising a hand to my chin, crossing my arms and closing my eyes I put on the appearance of being deep in thought.

"Until the campaign ends, we will have fully stocked ships and redoubt's in various islands across first the East Blue, then more. When we conclude the campaign, I am looking at putting loyal soldiers embedded back into the population in order to both reward them and ensure that the civilians see you are not there to protect my regime, but protect them from more who would take advantage of the chaos. Minimum 38 acres, house of your design, local food source to sustain your family." Nodding, Kuro closed his eyes, contemplating my offer. Then he turned around. Looking at each of his men, he assessed them one by one.

"Well men. Is it worth it to throw in with this fossil, in order to be truly rich and free? Or should we choose to mount one final action in defence of some of our less than savoury ways?" He raised his hands, holding them up and open, looking to each for their reply. A lot of the Black Cat Pirates were deep in thought, or trying to digest the conversation I and Kuro had been having, who knows.

"Well, Captain, I think we have had our fill... No reason to try and debauch when both the _World Government_ and other forces are bearing down on you. Besides... I've heard if you are a good enough person, a woman may notice you naturally. I think it may be high time we give that a try..." Django spoke up for the crew, looking around as they nodded slowly, the Nyan Bro's first then the rest. Slowly, Kuro turned around, before smiling lightly.

"Well, Garp-oyaji-saaaaaama, it appears you've won! I pledge the Black Cat pirates to your Organization, if you will have us." He dropped to his knees, and so did the res-wait what had he just said? That little brat! He called me "Lord Old Man"[if my animespeak was correct in remembering such a thing].

"You cheeky little scrub... Well, the balls in my court now. I guess it's now time to inform you, that as the first to join the Second Division, you are all the inaugural platoon... The first to be organized in your division. Welcome to _The Organization_ , Black Cat Platoon of the Second Division, and welcome, **Commander** Kuro of the _Black Cats_."

That couldn't have gone better

 _~Chapter End~_

 **Author Note:** Well, there is the second one. I hope this is up to people's high expectations they hold for One Piece fictions, even if it's a self-insert. I'm trying to make sure I do good dialogue scenes, as most One Piece stories are very heavy with them. Me, I am partial to the massive fights that One Piece can construct. That moment when Whitebeard threw the Ocean at Marineford, and Aokiji froze tidal waves, and others like it, were just so epic. However, I know people want to see the personality of both my Garp, and the improvements that the others have gained with the changes.

Thanks to the last chapters reviewer, who pointed out quite correctly, that I had used the name for Enel The Lightning Gods fruit[ _Goro Goro no_ _Mi_ ], and not the true Fire fruit, which is _Mera Mera no Mi_. I have since corrected and edited the previous chapter.

Kindly drop a review. Flames will be used to feed the Eternal Fires of Surt.


	3. Chapter 3-March through the Circus, a

**To Become One with the Rising Tide**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own anything that is from a monetized source, this is a not for profit exercise in fun and pursuit of happiness.

 **Summary:** Ah, shit. I'm in the body of Monkey D. Garp and I've just introduced Luffy to Ace. What am I going to do? Troll Sengoku and the Gorosei? Make Ace and Luffy become Marines and slap Akainu like a bitch? I'm sure I can think of something...

I just re-edited this chapter and inserted some more content. Sorry about that, felt a little incomplete with the fights and dialogue in certain areas.

 **Chapter 3-March through the Circus, and to the Kitchen**

With the absorption of Kuro's crew, I handpicked Django, the Nyan Bro's and Kuro himself to accompany the Strawhats. Kuro had questioned me on this.

"The reason Kuro, is that when it comes to battles that are above regular operations, you and the more powerful individuals will not only need to fight other high powered enemies, but learn to cohabitate on the battlefield with powerful allies. This means being able to coordinate offence and defence smoothly and seamlessly, no matter an enemies power or advantages. When I'm done training this group, you won't bat an eye taking on someone like _"The Red Dog of the Marines"_."

Accepting my reasoning, the group had now taken to training for large amounts of the day. Luckily, unlike most ships in operation right now, the **Bismarck** was big enough to house training facilities. While nothing like the Danger Room of the X-Men, or the massive pit underneath Urahara Kisuke's little shop, it was large enough that the crew could train their styles safely, and stretch their legs in a fight.

Two days ago, we set out from the home village of Usopp and Kaya. Kaya had appointed a regent, and actually listened to Kuro's idea's for investment, although she refused to be in the same room as him at all since learning of his plans[one of the conditions of Kuro joining, I had made, was that he had to publicly confess and apologize to Kaya for taking advantage of her good nature and attempting to go through with such a plan. It was good for Kaya to realize that there were those who would use her that way, and it was good for Kuro to apologize even if it was humiliating]. With good reason. I allowed the frostiness, when she felt secure enough to talk to him by herself again she would do it. I would make her strong enough, mentally and physically, that she could do such a thing. Kaya would never need to be afraid again.

Kuro's training had struck up a good rivalry with Zolo, the natural difference between their bladed styles setting them at odds immediately. The Nyan Bro's began to study under Luffy for physical combat, my grandson being the master of unconventional combat fitting into the perfect role as a mentor for the two cat-loving youngsters. Usopp, I had practising with both the gunnery officer, and with his super-slingshot. On his down-time, I asked him if he could come up with a bigger design for the super-sling he was currently using, so he had taken to drawing up designs for an improved sharp-shootin' sniper slingshot.

Soon, we were within an hours journey of Mayor Boodle's Village. Was I forgetting something?

 **BOOM**

Oh.

I began to sprint towards fire control. "USOPP CEASE-FIRE GORRAMIT, THERE'S PEOPLE ON THAT ROCK YOU'RE SHOOTING AT". I yelled as loud as I could. From what I could remember, Johnny and Yosaku were out there and with the size of the **Bismarck's** guns, even the 12 inch[which are still 24 times the size of fifty calibre bullets] ones, they could be torn to shreds.

As it turns out, their infamous "Stupid Brothers" luck held out, and soon we beheld a distressed Johnny jump onto the deck of the ship, beginning to cuss us all out something fierce.

"YOU NO-GOOD SHITTY PIRATE BASTARDS ARE GONNA PAY FOR BLASTING MY BROTHER WITH THAT RIDICULOUSLY MASSIVE CANNON! YOU JERKS, HE WAS ALREADY SICK!" Wait, why were these two appearing here at this time... Didn't they appear after the Buggy encounter, right before Baratie? Navigation showed we were nowhere near there right now...

Oh right. They were searching for Zoro. That does make sense, they could've somehow tracked us... Their luck was weird and cartoonish like that. Anyway, I was the first one in sight of Johnny, and I made sure I raised my hands in the universal "we come in peace" gesture, hands completely open and splayed for him to see.

"Hey there young fella, take it easy. My grandson didn't know you and your brother were on that island, and he was just training his gunnery skills. Bring your brother here, and I will see what we can do to help him, alright?" I slowly walked up to him as I continued talking, finally kneeling in front of him, and placing a mitt on his shoulder. Visibly, the worried bounty hunter calmed down, and began pointing to the lifeboats.

"I brought Yosaku with me, he's waiting down in the boat. Please help my brother!" He pleaded as he grabbed my tunic. I nodded.

"Zolo, get on out to the lifeboat. Luffy, get Ms. Kaya to the operating room and be on hand to get anything she needs. We will give Yosaku a physical assessment to see what is wrong." Everyone sprang into action, and I began to walk towards the medical ward.

Due to the nature of the ships size, I had set the medical ward up in the first tower of the **Bismarck's** superstructure. A room for triage, and a room for treatment, up to date and able to handle nearly the whole crews worth of personnel if necessary. Soon, they were gathered there. Luffy, Zoro, Kaya, Johnny, Yosaku, and Usopp had joined us.

"I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, so so sorry, that I blasted the place you were resting on Yosaku-san! I was just practising my gunnery skills, as I haven't trained with these weapons systems before. Please accept my immense humility and groveling humble apology!" Usopp was prostrating himself on the ground and bowing at the bed, after learning he had fired the ships cannon at someone who was already laid out from being sick. It was an amusing sight, and Yosaku was already looking away, waving him off.

"It's alright Usopp-san, I forgive you... I'm not dead, and now I have this lovely angel tending to my every need!" Yosaku looked on dreamily at Kaya, until I grunted and brought his attention to my face.

"Hey, kid. I'm her grandfather. You know that protective instinct fathers have." He nodded in apprehension rapidly. "Well, with a grandfather, it works four-fold. IN other words, you will treat Ms. Kaya with the utmost respect, and if you say anything untoward... Well, I will know. The walls have ears on my ship, after all. And then you will get an introduction to my beloved grandchildren's favourite technique, my _"Fists of Love"_." Yosaku paled considerably, alongside Luffy who remembered all the training that had been done with _that_ technique, and began to nod his ascent as fast as his sore body allowed.

"Kaya, I trust you to set your own boundaries and limits with this ruffian. Don't be afraid to give him a tetanus shot, he looks like an unruly wild beast." Kaya giggled, while Yosaku and Johnny looked incensed. Both of them were nearly alike in personality and had enough intelligence to know that if someone is referring to one of them, it reflects on both of them. With that said, I shooed everyone else out but the bros, Zolo, and Kaya. I left Zoro to catch up with them, as I had told him in no uncertain terms that it was deeply irresponsible of him to partially train some individuals and then leave them prey to the pirates in the Ocean[even if this was the East Blue, they could get flattened, Arlong was a great fact one could use to argue the case] and that he would at least finish their training if not begin a swordsman platoon for Luffy.

Kaya began to heal Yosaku, and eventually threw Johnny in another bed, because he apparently hadn't healed correctly from some old injuries. Using some of the medicine, and devices we developed, she simulated the regenerative effect I had learned, with the technology on hand. Soon, both Yosaku and Johnny were in tip-top-tippy-top shape and training with Zoro, while we were on our way to Mayor Boodle's town. Now I knew for a fact that even with the changes that I had given to Nami, she would probably not be able to resist the target Buggy would make, especially with her training. Anchoring one mile off shore, I had the group assemble before one lifeboat. I assessed them, walked around, then grinned before scooping up Luffy and Zoro and whipping them into town.

I had witnessed the bond form between Luffy and Zolo much the same way it had in canon, it was probably going to have some structural similarity to the original story in Nami's case as well. Only this time, the rest of us would take Zoro's old role of rowing/motoring into town, while Zolo joined Luffy in combating the ranking officers of Buggy's crew earlier on.

The others gaped at me.

"What? Get on the boat already!" In an atto-second, the entire shore party was in the boat. We began to move towards the shore, bumping up and down over the tide, the motor whining with it's electrical field. Within minutes, we got to the docks. There were a few Buggy pirate scrubs, but no one else really.

"Usopp... Wide-area knockout shot, if you would please." Grinning, Usopp Pulled his super-sling out, and loaded a purple pellet the size of a plum, and with one smooth motion he loaded, stretched and shot his projectile. A whip-snap and one poof later, the various Buggy mooks were lying unconscious on the dock. The wind from the sea cleared the smoke within the next half minute, as we rode up to the docks, and I began delegating immediately.

"Alright boys, clean up anything that Zoro and Luffy leave behind, and subdue those you come across. Kuro, join the vanguard, Nyan Bro's go with Usopp and Koby. Oh, and Usopp... That song I told you about, start playing it." Usopp grinned, and pulled out a flute with a couple dials on it. Pipe music, and drumming began to come from it, as he blew into the 5 bellowed contraption.

 **-PT 109 by Jimmy Dean w/lyrics START-**

We marched into town underneath a banner of sound military music. Building by building, we cleared the town, going from block to block, taking down punks and giving the civilians aid. Almost comical in their defence, we caught most of the robbing louts with their pants down looting and wrecking homes all willy nilly. I began to sing.

 _In '43 they put to sea, thirteen men and Kennedy_

 _Aboard the PT 109, to fight the brazen enemy_

 _And off the isle of Olasana, in the straight beyond Naru_

 _A Jap destroyer in the night, cut the 109 in two_

A large group of pirate robbers ran at me as I came around the corner in a small two bedroom house. They made to rush me, and end my singing, if anything could be read about their intentions. I grinned as I bellowed, laughing as Usopp continued to blast out the music from the rooftops. Snapping up one of the charging pirates blunderbuss's, I caromed the one besides him over the head, sending the blighter flying into- _correction_ -through the wooden wall. The others tried hurtling glass bottles at me, and I caught fire from one of them being a molotov cocktail. The fire caught quickly and whooshed over my frame, even as I strode towards the charging idiots.

 _SMOKE AND FIRE UPON THE SEA, EVERYWHERE THEY LOOKED WAS THE ENEMY_

 _THE HEATHEN GODS OF OLD JAPAN, YEAH THEY THOUGHT THEY HAD THE BEST OF A MIGHTY GOOD MAN_

I roared, as I smashed through their ranks, bowling them like ninepins. Breaking through the wall behind the clown troops, I burst into the street with a flash of fire of smoke. Grinning, I quickly swatted down the fires on me, and shook off the gasoline like a dog.

 _And on the coast of Kolombangara, looking through his telescope_

 _Australian Evans saw the battle, for the crew had little hope_

 _Two were dead, an some were wounded, all were clinging to the bow_

 _Fightin' Fire and flightin' water, trying to save their lives somehow_

A group came out of the building across from me, and screamed a war cry, before sprinting at me with cutlasses raised. I laughed, as I batted away their attempts to gut me, redirecting their blades to smack the flats against their comrades heads or their own. They really were quite clumsy, not better than a stable boy who one day runs off to battle thinking they can win glory and best knights and kings. Laying them out with several heavy head shots, I patiently worked through the group and continued making my way towards where I would be seeing Luffy confront Buggy.

 _SMOKE AND FIRE UPON THE SEA, EVERYWHERE THEY LOOKED WAS THE ENEMY_

 _THE HEATHEN GODS OF OLD JAPAN, YEAH THEY THOUGHT THEY HAD THE BEST OF A MIGHTY GOOD MAN_

I gazed down an alley, and saw Zoro fighting Cabaji the Trickster Swordsman, furiously striking each other with their differing styles. I looked down another, and spied Luffy defending the lonely little dog whose owner was dead, laughing as he fended off the strikes of that comically oversized Lion. There was no chance in hell that Mohji the Lion Trainer would be able to defeat him, so I continued the march to the towns centre.

 _Mac-Mahon the Irishman, was burned so badly he couldn't swim_

 _Leave me here go 'ome he said, cause if ye don't we'll all be dead_

 _The PT skipper couldn't leave him, a man to die alone at sea_

 _And with a strap between his teeth, he towed the Irishman through the sea_

"GET OUT THERE, FIND WHOEVER IS SINGING, AND **SHUT. THEM. THE. HELL. UP!** " I heard a... _Clowny_ sound of voice squeal out. A large group of punks spilled out of the big town hall building, pointed at me, and began to charge.

"There he IS!"

""Captain Buggy wants you to shut it, you big old bastard!"

"GET'IM!"

I grinned in anticipation as the punks sprinted at me, holding up one of my fists and slipping into the ready stance of Maito Gai's Strong Fist, signalling them to come get some.

 _SMOKE AND FIRE UPON THE SEA, EVERYWHERE THEY LOOKED WAS THE ENEMY_

 _THE HEATHEN GODS OF OLD JAPAN, YEAH THEY THOUGHT THEY HAD THE BEST OF A MIGHTY GOOD MAN_

The incensed men screamed in rage as I belted out my lyrics, and frothing at the mouth they finally reached me, beginning to attack wily nilly. I was reminded of all those prank videos where some jerk does something really annoying, and immediately the victims lose all reasoning and just want to wreck your shit. Like those ones from RebelTv where they would run up on girls and gals, throw water balloons at a guys girlfriend, and the dude would run after 'im like he was going to break his foot off in the pranksters ass.

Laughing I grabbed one by his open mouth, his eyes widening in the process, and took his centre of gravity as my weapon by beaning the guy next to him with his friends head. The punk squee'd out as I smashed their skulls together. One tried to stab me in the back, and I spun around and flicked the flat of the blade at his head, sending him reeling from the flat iron blade smashing into his nose. The rest of them looked a little shaky by this point, and I quickly took advantage of that by grabbing one of them by his foot. In a moment, I swung him through the air, and he flew into the remainder, taking them all down and out.

 _He lead his men through waters dark, rocky reefs and hungry sharks_

 _He braved the enemy's bayonets, a .38 hung 'round his neck_

 _Four more days and four more nights, a rescue boat pulled into sight_

 _The PT 1-0-9 was gonnnnne..._

 _BUT KENNEDY AND HIS CREW LIVED ONNNNNN!_

The booming and clanging noises had stopped around town, so I was pretty sure that Luffy and Zolo were done their fights, and would be meeting me in front of Buggy's hall soon enough. As I strode down the lane, I recounted the last few lyrics of John F. Kennedy's legendary Patrol Boat 1 0 9.

 _Now who could guess, who could possibly know that same man named Kennedy..._

 _... ..._

 _Would be the leader of the nation, be the one to take command_

 _The PT 1-0-9 was gone, but Kennedy lived to fight again_

 _SMOKE AND FIRE UPON THE SEA, EVERYWHERE THEY LOOKED WAS THE ENEMY_

 _BUT JFK AND HIS CREW LIVED ON..._

I ended the lyrical portion, and began to just talk really loudly.

"WHICH PROVES IT HARD TO GET THE BEST OF A MAN NAMED JOHN[Big Bad John]!" With that roar ending the song, I ground my frame to a halt before the town hall. Within a few moments of the song ceasing, Luffy and Zolo joined me.

 **-PT 109 by Jimmy Dean w/lyrics END-**

"HEY BIG HUGE UGLY RED NOSE" Well, Luffy must've heard from Mohji that Buggy the Clown was in charge of this crew, Zoro shaking his head and snorting at the bluntness of his Captain. A palpable silence hit the air, eerie for such a battle-torn town.

"FIRE THE SPECIAL BUGGY BALL! **FFFFIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEE!** " An enraged yet squeaky voice erupted from the Town Hall's roof. I nodded at Zolo. Instead of Luffy reflecting it back at Buggy, I wanted Zoro to slice the cannon ball in half and stop it from exploding so we could get a hold of what had made his cannonballs so ridiculous and cartoonishly powerful. Zolo leapt into the air, as the crack-boom of cannon fire reached us, and with roar of _**Oni-Giri!**_ he had cut the special cannon ball to pieces. It fell to the ground, and Usopp held out a sack to catch the parts.

"WHO DARES!" Screeched the Captain of the Buggy Pirates as he peeked over the wall on the roof, his face and hat now visible, bloodshot eyes and red nose throbbing in a hot rage.

"THAT STRAWHAT!" He spoke in shock, while pointing at Luffy, who grinned and held his hat to his head. Buggy glared at Luffy, veins throbbing on his head, now completely focused upon my grandsons person. "WHERE IS THAT RED-HAIRED BASTARD!"

Luffy's grin dropped, and his eyes took on a little bit of mania. Nobody insulted the hat.

In a split second, Luffy charged his legs with a blood-surge, before rocketing towards the roof, the pavement shattering instantly in a 10 foot circle around where he had been standing form the force exerted. I gestured for everyone to join us. Those that couldn't make the jump, I just grabbed and stuffed under my arms despite their protests.

"Garp-oyaji, don't stuff me in your armpit, it's gross in there!" Huh, Nami had joined the group and I didn't even notice. Maybe I had taught her Zabuza's silent killing a little too well... I laughed at her exclamation, putting my granddaughter down.

"Well, well, it is a wonderful treat to see you here Nami! Robbing these idiot schmucks blind? I trust you are leaving some for the townspeople to repair their wrecked and ruined hovels?" I gave her a suspicious look, and she at least had the temerity to look a little sheepish.

"Oh I know Garp-oyaji, I have been making sure I leave enough in any town I steal from. An I make sure to only steal from those who are corrupt, evil, and only breaking the law for their own selfish gain." She exclaimed, pointing a thumb at her chin. "This robber is one who cares about the people."

Moving in before she opened her eyes, I grasped her in a hug. "That is all I can ever ask you to do Nami, my little granddaughter!" She blushed at the affection and praise, and I put her down.

As pretty as she was, I was not attracted to someone less than half of my age. In my life, I was nearly 30, and Garp was past 60 in the One Piece world. So, unless I found an attractive immortal near my age, I was going to stick to having a good family and seeing them happy, and that was all I really desired. It's not like I cannot control myself, even if One Piece and anime-verses like it were filled with very attractive females. I just really did treasure the bonds I had as a Grandfather.

She nodded, before glancing over at the roof. "We should probably join them up there.."

Laughing, I swept her up in a bridal carry, and in a second leapt to the roof with my passenger shrieking in joy. I set her down quietly, watching Luffy and Zolo deal with the scrubs Buggy had left. Moments later, Luffy began striding towards their captain, as Zoro dealt out clobbering hits to any still awake from their assault.

Buggy was literally steaming with rage at this point, as my grinning grandson strode up to him. I ended up laughing a little too loudly, and Buggy snapped his head over to me, to give me what for.

"AND WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE LAUGHING AT, OLD MA-" He cut himself off as he went a shade paler than his clown painted face. Shakily, he pointed a finger at me.

"WHAT THE HECK IS GARP THE FIST DOING HERE!" I laughed, amused by his reaction, and pointed at Zolo and Luffy.

"I'm just making sure my grandsons are safe on their voyage to meet with destiny. They all have something grand ahead, and the best thing I can do in my life at this point, is make sure all of my beloved grandchildren succeed in their endeavours." The two Strawhats, captain and first mate respectively, nodded in agreement.

"I DON'T CARE IF YOUR COMMANDER FUCKING KONG, WHY THE HELL DID YOU WRECK MY CREW, MY SHIPS, AND DESTROY MY GRIP ON THIS ISLAND?" The enraged clown demanded from me.

"Me? I was just singing, and preventing some unruly layabouts from stopping my merriment. Luffy and Zoro are the ones who've been doing what you just described." I thumbed a hand at my grandsons. Then I pointed the other hand behind him.

"And you mustn't forget about my _Black Cat_ grandsons, they've been subduing anyone else that you had messing with this town." Kuro and his crew appeared from behind Buggy, Usopp and Koby with them

"THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD ENOUGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH! _**CHOP-CHOP FESTIVAL!**_ " Buggy split into a couple dozen pieces, and each had a weapon gripped[either by and appendage, or between two pieces of bodily parts, huh Buggy was being a little more inventive than I had pegged him for.] in their possession. They flew at Zolo, Luffy, Kuro, Coby, Nami and I. Laughing, I grabbed the pieces by their stumps, and held the terrified head of Buggy under my arm.

"NOOOOO, NOT THE ARMPI-MRMFFFFFFLLLLLL!" The clown pirate gibbered in terror as I stuffed his head into the crook of my arm. Nami snorted, as she tied up some of the body parts I had seized.

"Hey guys, once you subdue a body part, toss it to me and I will secure it in the bag!" Nami shouted, and received several "AYE'S" in reply. Soon, Buggy was all tied up in the bag. Wow, the first few villains WERE really weak, even to canon Luffy... As far as I can remember, the first time he struggled really, was against Arlong. Don Krieg had been nothing, and Luffy hadn't really been able to even challenge Mihawk... Here, with what I had done for him, he probably was only going to struggle with Smokey, and possibly Crocodile before things got tougher. Well, it was for a good reason that I wanted him to be ridiculously strong and in possession of a series of open-ended skills he could use to handle opponents of many types, giving him the ability to deal well with nearly any situation.

Anyway.

"Now... What shall we do with you?" I said as I pulled the furious head of Buggy up to my face. His mouth and nose were scrunched in disgust, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. Damn anime physics and over-exaggerating faces...

"DON'T PUT ME BACK IN THERE!" Raising an eyebrow, I looked over at the crew, and back at the terrified clown.

"I'm glad you don't want to go back to my armpit. Nami, release his hands, feet, some of his arms and legs, and enough of his torso so he can stand up." The pirate thief looked through the bag of captured parts, and threw out a few, allowing Buggy to slowly assemble a tiny dwarfish body. Furious, but unwilling to open his mouth and end up in my sweaty pits again, he stood silently glowering at all of us.

"Alright. Here's the deal Captain Buggy. I'm going to give you to the count of ten, to get your ugly, yella, no-good kiester out of this town, before I have my grandsons pound and slice you down a few more ticks. Capisce?" Sneering at him, I motioned to Nami, and she released his parts. He fled with them in the air and never looked back, taking most of the Buggy Pirates with him, Mohji and Cabaji running in front of everyone.

"Well boys, I think one of you will need to go and get Mayor Boodle before he runs after those little blighters and gets himself killed, what do you say?" I looked at Kuro, Coby, Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp and they nodded.

"Don't worry Gramps, I'll go stop 'im." Luffy said, leaping into action and jumping across town, as we all heard a surprised and elderly squawk issue from his landing spot and echo across the towns silent districts.

After Luffy had explained the events of the day to Mayor Boodle, Nami and the rest focused on helping the townspeople locate their stolen monies, and repairing what they could. I think, we would stay for a few days to help them rebuild their town, and set up a detachment of _"The Organization"_ on this island.

The townspeople welcomed our help, and in the passing conversations I had with them, seemed interested in a home-grown and inter-island supportive force. I slowly introduced them to the concepts of my organization, which they enjoyed hearing about, and they liked the fact that it was based upon making communities able to protect themselves. One week had gone by, fast as could be, and we had not only restored the town, but built defensive walls, and expanded their grazing and food production farms.

"A team will be here within the day of our setting sail, probably before nightfall. They will begin to train those you suggest for the addition to the isle's defensive forces. Is this acceptable Mayor Boodle." The man nodded, and looked wistfully into the seas, as everyone drank and ate and sang around them.

"It feels almost... Strange to talk so casually of treason. For this is what we are speaking of right now, treason against the _Marines_ , _World_ _Government_ , _Tenryuubito_ , and _Gorosei_. However... After going through the besieging we did when Buggy the Clown took our town over, I am loathe to not explore it as an option to protect the people. Otherwise, I would be no different from the criminals who prey on those weaker than them, if I dismissed such an option just to maintain my position and authority in their structure." Boodle said with melancholy, smiling sadly at their situation.

"You're right Boodle. The World Government and all of it's appendices, should in theory be capable of taking care of all known crime. However, the fact that they don't, even with their power, shows their unworthiness of rulership. Especially considering that they base it all on events that happened some 800 years ago, which they will tell no one about, but demand we recognize and celebrate as the reason they can rule over us all. Tell me, that that statement itself, does not at least merit a philosophical discussion on the ability the government has and what it chooses to do. A good case in point in the Cipher Pol's. They are supposed to be there to perform counter-intelligence, yet all they really seem to do, is blackmail, plant stories, fabricate lies, set up upstanding people in various communities, and perform assassination and enslavement missions." I nearly reached a rant by the end of my statement, because the Cipher Pol reminded me so much of the _CIA-MI6-Mossad_ and other agencies which did the same in my first universe.

Boodle looked over at me, raising an eyebrow.

"Is what you are doing personal Garp? Or is it business?" I snorted at his question.

"I take it personally whenever someone with the strength to protect someone else not only fails to do so, but refuses. People like Akainu, and various others I really cannot stand." Boodle nodded, comprehension seeping into his face.

"I understand. I don't know what I would do if I woke up one day, and found that one of my subordinates was stealing money and muscling under some civilians. And especially if I learned that their behaviour was being allowed by someone above me, maybe a governor or noble or somesuch. It would be hard for me to justify staying in such a system when it was so compromised already." Boodle nodded in compassion, as since he saw his own world turned on its head, it was not hard to imagine my own being turned inside and out.

Honestly, I think Garp just tried to focus on Ace and Luffy surviving to become adults, rather than worrying about the massive corruption in the marines and rulers of the planet. He was more worried about what they'd do if they found Ace and Luffy[while not the son of Roger, Luffy was Dragon's kid, and there were many a marine who would take advantage of the fact that he was the most dangerous man in the worlds son]. Playing the long term, as a man inside the system protecting his family. While not a bad idea itself, I think he was limited in the resources he could bring to bear when it came down to the difference between canon-Garp and my fusion of Garp's personality and my old one. Still a good man at heart though, just a man who gambled and miscalculated.

"All we can do, is try and make sure we are always protecting the little guy and gal. Everything has to be for them. It cannot give way to over-indulgence. It must not cross the line to abuse. To raise a kid, you have to protect them, and educate them. There are many wrong ways to do it, and we can see that today. All we can do, is not make those mistakes." Boodle nodded, and we both sat in silence, drinking whisky while looking into the sunset.

Soon, we would head towards Baratie, the floating restaurant of the seas.

The next morning saw the entire town turn out to see us off. The crowd was yelling and screaming with all kinds of praise, waving at everyone on our PT boat as we embarked and set out slowly.

"THANKS FOR EVERYTHING STRAWHATS!"

"WE APPRECIATE WHAT YOU DID FOR US GARP-SAMA!"

"DON'T WORRY, WE WON'T SLACK OFF WHILE YOUR GONE GARP-SAMA, WE'LL TRAIN HARD AND GET STRONG LIKE ZOLO AND LUFFY-NII!"

"TAKE CARE NAMI, THANKS FOR HELPING US FIND EVERYTHING!"

"THANKS FOR STOPPING THEM FROM HURTING ME BLACK CATS, WE LOVE YOU!"

And on and on, ad nauseum.

When we got within sight of the **Bismarck** , it was Nami's turn to gape in disbelief. She just couldn't believe the size of our steel fortress on the seas. Getting over her surprise within a few moments, she began to assess it's lines. With a grin, she looked at me.

"Garp-oyaji, how big are the vaults on that ship?" She couldn't have asked with more innocence in her tone, hands behind her back, and eyes set on full Puppy-Dog. I shifted nervously, I was weak to weaponized cuteness.

"Big enough..." Suddenly, she was clasping my arm, and her eyes had flashed like one of those penny slots at a casino, ringing in double-belli signs.

"And how full would these vaults happen to be..." She said slyly, drool coming out the corner of her mouth. Well, I guess she still had a treasure obsession, but at least she wasn't near kleptocratic. I mean seriously, only sharing money with a firm 300% interest? That's not a loan, that's an investment plan!

"Uggh, Nami, the vaults have enough treasure for us to carry out several operations, without having to bring in additional capital. There, does that make you happy." Nami pouted, the mystique of vast treasure filled vaults whisked away, and replaced with some kind of scene of a bookkeeper in the recesses of a bank. That must be oh so boring to her...

"No fair! I thought you promised me treasure beyond what I could comprehend!" She pouted as she hugged me, her face looking into mine with a childish expression.

"And look around you. Do you not have brothers and such that would do anything to help you? Is there more wealth than you can easily count in the company you currently hold? Or is all that is gold, the only thing that glitters to you?" Her eyes looked down, before contemplating my words, then steeling herself she replied.

"I love my family. I love the family you've given me. I am going to have to get used to them however, and it will take time for me to see them as my riches. I am thankful though, for what I have. I also just happen to like gold, jewels and precious artifacts." She ended with a serious grin, and let go of her hug.

The next few days passed by quickly, with the Strawhats getting to know their new comrades a little better, in the form of the _Black Cat_ platoon. Training sessions saw some good gains in teamwork. Coby and Helmeppo began to show some promise, and Koby became friends with the weaker blonde.

Soon, we were within an hour of the restaurant. I got the crew to drop anchor, and took Luffy, Zolo, Coby, Helmeppo, Johnny, Yosaku, Nami, Kaya, and Usopp with me. I talked to Kuro, and bid him come in a second boat to bring up the rear, and swing around the left flank of any enemies that comes near the restaurant.

I was thinking of that idiot Krieg of course.

On the way, a marine ship came into view. As we moved side by side to the restaurant, we were noticed, and slowly a few individuals came to the railing.

"Who goes there? This is Lieutenant "Iron Fist" Fullbody. What are your intentions?" A skinny pink-haired marine with iron attached to his knuckles shouted over to us.

"WE'RE GOING TO BARATIE, THE RESTAURANT ON THE SEA, MR LIEUTENANT FULLBODY!" The enthusiastic reply Luffy sent his way actually put a smirk on the marines face. He could understand why the strawhat kid was excited, he was here for Baratie too-... He paused.

Strawhat.

Wasn't there a warning going around about either some Strawhat monster, or a gang of Strawhats popping up out of nowhere and beating the living shit out of marines and pirates alike? This bears closer looking at, was all he thought, staring intently at the small crew on the interesting powered-boat.

"Well then, I hope you won't mind me asking your names, so I can make sure your intentions are pure!" Fullbody yelled back. This got several raised eyebrows. The old man in the boat stood up.

"Who says you have any right to do that, Lt. Fullbody?" I said in a low voice, but one that still carried over the waves. For a second, his eyes widened, then he took on a smug face.

"You see that flag? That stands for over 180 countries, and the _Tenryuubito_ themselves. All that authority is given to me while I am on the sea, so listen well when I tell you what to do!" I laughed at the ridiculous statement. What an idiot.

This seemed to incense the poor schmuck, as he charged inside and a porthole with a cannon opened up on the second deck.

"You DARE laugh at my authority, and THAT flag? I will BLOW YOU AWAY!" With a snarl, he lit the loaded cannon, and it belched a round at me with a crack-boom. Scoffing, as most of the more timid Strawhats hit the deck, I lifted a hand and caught the cannonball as it attempted to mash my face in. Putting it into a shot-put position, I grunted and whipped it right back at the idiot Marines ship.

 **BOOM**

With a crash, I punched a hole from one side of the ship to another, on it's third deck. It wouldn't sink, but if it got into a fight, the hole would be an easy way to tear it to shreds. Sitting down again, I bumped the throttle up, and we sped in front of the astonished Marine vessel. They looked completely shocked by what I had just done, and it seemed their brains needed to reboot to process the data on what they just had seen.

Soon, we were inside the restaurant, and seated at a table. It was a good thing I had Kaya start those etiquette classes, as the Strawhats were able to keep their noise and antics down, while respecting the other customers. While yes, Baratie attracted rowdy customers, the Strawhats were rowdier than most of them could manage on their best days. In a world such as the One Piece world, it paid to keep an appearance of culture and breeding. Even if I would sooner eat a meal with my hands as I had done it in the army in my old life, ate cold rations and chewed coffee grounds an' all that, when we couldn't make a fire.

Soon, Sanji was serving us.

"Here is a sweet-trout souffle for the lovely Lady Kaya, and a shrimp platter for the ravishing Nami-schwan! And a three course meal for the men!" At least he could be bothered to mention that there were guys at the table, maybe Zeff had stopped his perversion from reaching unmanageable levels... Or he could be having a good day because Luffy didn't blast a hole in the roof this time... I'll take either one.

"Thanks very much Sanji, we graciously receive your hard work." I bowed slightly, and Sanji spared me a micro-second of his attention, nodding slightly. The boys followed my example, giving thanks to Sanji in a low voice, and letting him wine and dine the ladies. He was putting on a full display of class, so they let their sisters be entertained by the man, as they could make their own choices and defend themselves if anything untoward happened. No need to be brash, and act like a child.

Within a few minutes, however, it was time for the show to begin. The doors crashed open, and in walked the exhausted Gin, half-starved and nearly dead. Sanji was still serving our table, so Patty was the one who walked out of the kitchen to the table Gin occupied.

 **-Thomas Bergersen Blackheart START-**

"Good day pirate scum lowlife. And what will you be having for food today?" Patti asked politely, with arms behind his back and eyes closed. Gin opened his weary eyes slowly, and looked up at Patty.

"Food. Whatever is fastest." Patti nodded lightly, and opened his eyes.

"And with what money will you be paying for your food, lowlife pirate-san." God, I couldn't get over the humour of the cooks in this restaurant. Hell, if Garp ever came here in canon, I don't think he would've left. Food, drink, fighting, and rude humour were his favourite vices in life. It would've been funny to see, that's for sure.

"Hot... Lead." With a sigh, Gin raised up his arm, and levelled a flintlock pistol at the beefy cooks head.

 **SMASH**

In a flash, Patty had smashed an axe-handled blow over the half-dead pirates head, sending him smashing through the table. With one arm, he picked him up, and threw him through the doors.

"Scum who can't pay, they don't eat in Baratie." With a flourish, he turned and bowed to the customers, who clapped and cheered lightly at his display. Without a word, Sanji stopped serving us, and walked to the kitchen. Leaving through the back, I saw him out the window near our table, giving a plate of rice, fish and vegetables to the beleaguered Gin. Which would mean... Krieg would be here soon, and his wreck of a ghost-ship would be along as well.

I knocked on the table lightly. My crew sat up, more alert and their expressions grew a tad faker, as they mentally prepared for the upcoming battle.

 **WHAM**

The doors blew open. In walked Gin, with the exhausted Don Krieg on his shoulders. Patti started at the sight, and then pointed a fist at the two hooligans.

"HEY! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING BACK IN HERE BASTARD-PIRATE! I BEAT YOUR ASS TEN MINUTES AGO!" Furiously gesturing, Patty looked askance at the two.

"F...F-foo... Fo-od. Please." Came the whispered request from the cape and fur clad Captain of the Krieg pirates. Patti gawked, before reaching behind a table-stand, and grabbing a fish shaped mini-cannon.

"NOT ONE STEP FURTHER! HOW DARE YOU BRING AN INFAMOUS PIRATE LIKE DON KRIEG ON TO BARATIE!" The flustered cook roared at Gin and his baggage. Gin had the decency to show a little sheepishness.

"He's my captain cook-san. I'm sworn to serve him. Your cooks saved me. I ask that you now save him." Patty gaped at him, before regaining his composure

"AS IF! NO WAY I'M GONNA FEED THE MOST NOTORIOUS PILOT OF THE EAST BLUE!"

"Here." Sanji walked by Patti, and thrust a dish of food into Krieg's face. Eagerly, he sat down and began scarfing away.

"SANJI, YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR! WE'RE GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS TO, IF WE HAVE TO." Patti and another cook, the short one whose name I have no memory of, got both of their cannons up and prepared to fire. Both gave Sanji time to get out of the way, but when he didn't, they each jumped to a side and fired. Sanji couldn't go both ways at once, and the cannonballs ended up smashing clean into Krieg's back.

Huh. Don Krieg looked more like Lt. Surge from Pokemon, than like his grey haired ugliness in the manga. What the heck?

 **"MEATBALL CANNON!"**

 **GOOOOOOOOONGGGGG**

With a resounding ring, the sizable projectiles were stopped. Krieg held out the plate he had been given, and crushed it with one hand.

"With this food in my belly... I AM RESTORED!" In a flourish, Krieg stood up, and whirled around. He looked the place up and down, and took in the sight of the patrons. He stopped before spying my, looking at the waiters and cooks.

"You! Bring me food enough for 100 men, and be quick about it." He spat at a skinny young waiter. Then he glanced over at Patti. Sanji got up to walk to the kitchen.

"Who are you plebeians that approach me, the mighty Admiral Don Krieg?" Patty growled, before pulling out a bigger over-the-shoulder cannon, and the staff followed him.

"We're the fightin' cooks of Baratie restaurant, and we don't entreat to scum like you. COOKS FIRE-AT-WILL, _**BUFFET BARRAGE!**_ " With that shout, the cooks fired as one, shooting their guns at the imperious pirate. A furious storm of metal, one certainly capable of laying lesser men low, but in all seriousness completely useless against the Wootz steel that Krieg's armour was made of. The projectiles reflected off, going through the roof and walls, and the customers ducked underneath the tables.

"INSOLENCE!" Krieg roared, and pointed a finger at the now-terrified cooks. "I was going to let you live, but now I'm going to take this ship AND execute you ALL!" The menacing, yet idiotic, blonde took a step towards the gathered cooks and they squealed.

 **THUMP**

Red Leg Zeff was now in the dining room, laying a bag of food down for Gin to pick up.

"Here. Enough food for a hundred men." Krieg paused, and took in the sight of the older man. Patti's eyes boggled at the sight.

"OWNER-ZEFF, YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS, HE'S GOING TO COME BACK AND KILL US ALL! HE'S ALREADY SAID AS MUCH, YOU CAN'T!" Patti's impassioned request gained Krieg's attention, the moment Patty said Zeff's name. Krieg turned to the older man again, looking at his peg leg.

"Yo-you're... You're Red Leg Zeff..." Zeff looked blankly at him in return for the declaration. "The peerless Captain-Cook, who led and fed his own crew, and after every battle, had both legs drenched and dripping in blood. You were on the GRAND LINE!" Zeff nodded. Krieg grinned.

"With your charts, and log-book, I could navigate that dastardly place with success!" Zeff raised an eyebrow.

"Oh... Ran in to some trouble you didn't see coming?" Krieg's eyes went bloodshot at the mention of trouble, and nearly started trembling

"It was insane... I went to the Grand Line with an armada of fifty ships, and 5,000 men... And we were nearly wiped out by one monster." His widened eyes surprised everyone in the room, Strawhats notwithstanding.

"Don Krieg and 5,000 men got taken down by one thing?"

"What kind of place is the Grand Line?"

"Wow, it sure must be crazy over there."

"One thing did that?"

"And in the end... It turned out that it was one man... Nay' one monster... I will never forget that glare, coming at me through the night, when we encountered Dracule "Hawkeyes" Mihawk..." Krieg's terrified whisper brought everyone's thoughts crashing to a halt. A _Shichibukai_ (Warlord of the Seven Sea's). They had run into a _Shichibukai_...

Of course, I noticed the immediate stiffening of Zoro, as he was sitting next to me. I put a hand on his shoulder, and he started a little.

"Zolo... Be patient. If what he said is true, you don't need to hop in a boat and begin searching for him. Mihawk always finishes what he started, and he probably will have followed Krieg here. You need only wait." Zoro quieted down, and sat still. He could be patient. Zeff spoke again.

"Maybe you interrupted his nap." Krieg's veins bulged in his face, at the audacity of Zeff to say something like that.

"DON'T BE STUPID!" Zeff snorted.

"I wasn't, you imbecile. That's the kind of place the Grand Line is, insanity like it is commonplace! The fact that you didn't believe that before you went there, just shows how much of a naive buffoon you really are." With a serious expression, Zeff dressed the Pirate Admiral down, as he should've known better. Eh, most who were too egotistical to change never made it past the initial part of the Grand Line, much like Krieg.

"Grrr. When I come back, I want that logbook, and this ship. My crew will be here within the hour!" Krieg turned on his heel, moved to stride out, with Gin unsure what to do. It was at that moment, a certain Lt. Fullbody chose to hurl himself into the restaurant greeting area.

"W-whe-where is that monster!" Krieg looked down at the marine in confusion.

"I'm right here, but I haven't ever attacked anyone like you..." He mused in confused arrogance, as Fullbody looked around like a man possessed, shaking his head violently.

"Not you, you pompous ass, I don't even know who you are!" He looked slowly through the room, before his eyes wandered to our table. "THERE! THERE HE IS! That MONSTER threw a cannonball threw my ship!" Fullbody fell over his feet, as he stumbled backwards. Krieg looked over at me, and his eyes widened.

"Garp the Fist..." He muttered in disbelief. Oh well, cover blown, I stood up and walked forward, stopping ten feet before the dumb blonde asshole, pointing a thumb at my chin.

"That's right. I'm Garp the Fist. Which means if you have anything left between those ears of yours resembling grey matter, you'll do the right thing for you and your crew and get the hell outta here..." I glowered seriously at him, and Krieg's eyes widened. Then he closed them, and snorted.

"Fehehehehehe. You haven't been been seen in over ten years, old man. Things have changed. My generation are gonna take this world by storm. And I'm gonna lead them as their Pirate King. YOU! Better be gone before I get back!" With that bravado-filled declaration, Krieg left the Baratie restaurant, and made his way to the ghost-hulk of a ship that was now drifting alongside Baratie. I looked at the crew.

"Luffy, Zoro, you will be taking on the seated officers." The two ran out and began to take positions amongst the driftwood, setting themselves up to tear through the enemy force, and engage the enemy commanders.

"Koby, Helmeppo, Johnny, Yosaku, you will form the stern-guard for the crew, and protect Baratie's side-entrances." The four drew their weapons, and took up posts at the two doorways near the customer docking area, on both sides of Baratie.

"Nami, Usopp, you are our sharp-shooters, get on the roof." The two nodded, pulled out their rifle and sling, and headed to the staircase near the kitchen. I turned to Kaya, the last one of my crew inside the building.

"Kaya, you run triage in here, for anyone who gets injured. Don't be afraid to order the cooks around, tell them we will pay for supplies when the battle is done and their restaurant is saved." I walked to the front doors, and sat down in the entrance-way, to await the idiots who were going to come charging up the front walk.

Within the next half hour, we were met with the arrival of several dozen ragged looking pirates. While I knew I could win Pearl and Gin over, most probably there would be no good men in the Pirate Krieg's remaining forces. Oh well, we shall see if Kuro is able to capture anyone that can be turned and trained.

"I told you to get the hell outta here Krieg. Do I have to spank you like an unruly grandson?" The sneer of Don Krieg almost produced a sound, as it resounded off of the waters and ships.

"Garp the Fist... I'm going to begin my legend right here, right now, by cutting your head off. It will be at Baratie, that the legend of the Hero of the Marines is laid to rest." He gestured at me, and a couple dozen pirates surged over the deck at his command.

"Luffy, Zolo, go get'im. Stern-guard, hold fast, and spread out." Two flashes burst through the driftwood, rolling over some of the Krieg Pirates that were in the way, on the path to engaging Krieg and the seated officers Pearl and Gin. Without even getting up, I thwacked away any scrubs that came near me, manoeuvring my chosen seastone walking stick[with titanium-coated handholds of course].

Nami and Usopp began unloading long-ranged weapons fire upon the hapless Krieg's pirates, and they had no answer for their shots, as none had long-range rifles or were stationed in appropriate areas. I had instructed them for non-lethal, and despite the powerful explosives Usopp used and the large sniper rifle Nami was sporting, they were not killing any of Krieg's crew.

Coby, Helmeppo, Johnny, Yosaku, were all engaged with groupings of enemies from Krieg's crew, and doing fairly well for themselves, despite being outnumbered. They had some shallow cuts, and sported a few welts from blunt force trauma, but all in all they were knocking out and disarming more goons than they were getting hit. I would step in if necessary...

Pearl was setting himself on fire, in an attempt to ward Zoro off, and the swordsman was clearly outclassing him by either deflecting his heavy blows or dodging his crazed swings. Luffy was actually beating on Don Krieg, as Sanji had joined the fight while I was concentrating on the Stern-guard with me, and the fiery perverted cook was currently **_Concassing!_** Gin in the head. I heard a furious verbal exchange going on between them.

"HOW COULD YOU, YOU SHITTY PIRATE! I FED YOU ASSHOLE!" Sanji roared, flames coming form his eyes even as he pulled a 1080 degree spin kick, slamming his leg with ferocious force into Gin's Cannonball Tonfa's. Gin grimaced as he held back Sanji's awesome force.

"I... HAVE AN OATH TO FOLLOW MY CAPTAIN! JUST LIKE YOU FOLLOW OWNER-ZEFF! I! HAVE! A! DEBT! TO! PAY!" The Krieg pirate roared back at the heavy legged chef, punctuating each of his words with a thrust by one of the Tonfa's.

"YOU JERK! THAT MEANS YOU OWE ME YOUR LIFE TOO BECAUSE I FED YOU! I ORDER YOU TO NULLIFY YOUR DEBT TO KRIEG, YOU SHIT BRAINED BANDANA'D MENACE!" Sanji spun furiously, and launched into the air with a series of thrust kicks to parry the powerful strikes of Gin.

 **CLANG**

 **CLANG**

 **KTHOOM**

 **BONG**

 **GONGGGGGG**

Within a few seconds, both were opposite each other again, ready to fight for their lives, but breathing heavy.

"Y-yo-you're pretty good for a punk ass flower of a cook..."

"Yo-yur pretty good for a shit-brained barbaric heathen of a pirate."

They acknowledged each other, then began to throw down once more.

Luffy was actually playing around with Don Krieg, as it seemed like whatever the man did, wouldn't even scratch my grandson. Krieg was roaring infuriatingly at Luffy, as Luffy humiliated him by telling him that his dream was foolish if he didn't think that not only were others trying to do it[become the Pirate King], but there were others actively hunting anyone who said they would do such a thing. The Pirate King was one of the most powerful people on the planet when he was at his height, so why would other powers that be allow such a force to return.

By this point, Krieg was foaming as if he had rabies.

Oh look, Zolo had beaten Pearl. Hmm, Mihawk should be here in a moment then.

A hush fell over the battlefield, as slowly the Krieg pirates looked out to sea, and saw a small boat drifting in.

"Look at that!"

"It's Him!"

"Agggghhh!"

"Don Krieg! It's Him! It's the man who destroyed our fleet!"

A cross, with candles lit upon the arms atop a casket, was the only mast to it's sole occupant. Who sat on the deathbox, dourly assessing the people that now inhabited his presence, looking us over with those Hawk-Eyes. He wore a long black coat, with cathedral patterned red sleeves, oozing with catholic design. His plain light purple pants contrasted the more interesting nature of his jacket, and his wide brimmed black hat with the stylish plume upon it's left side. The skin was pale as can be, and I think he may be a real vampire but with the DayWalker tint to his ability. An ornate gold and black cross hung around his neck. Zoro looked out to sea, spying the small and odd boat, spying his goal so close to him.

 _"Th... That man!"_ Zolo's heart pumped faster, as he took in the appearance of Hawkeye. _"So that man is..."_

Krieg noticed, and within a few seconds, had moved to block Mihawk's path, stopping the _Shichibukai's_ boat with his boot-tip.

"Mihawk, you son of a bitch. Was I that much of a threat that you needed to hunt me down, and kill all of my men?" Krieg's grin held all the slimy arrogance I despised in humanity... What a putz, he didn't even realize how far outta his depth he was.

"Hmm? At first I was killing time... Then I was hunting for you, but now that's over. I've found you, and found my own interest... Has turned to disinterest. Kindly take your foot off of my boat." With the last sentence, his glinting yellow eyes bored into Krieg, who took a half a step back in apprehension. Mihawk made to continue, before one of my boisterous grandsons challenged him. Then, Krieg gritted his teeth and popped a bunch of secret compartments on his armour, exposing a series of barrels.

"YOU SON OF A BIIIIIITTTTTTTCCCCCCCHHHHH!" He fired all of his weapons. And with one fluid motion, almost gracefully, Mihawk swept his giant black sword off of his back, and placed it minutely in the path of the bullets. Deflecting them in one strike. Krieg's eyes widened to the size of golf balls.

"Impossible! How could he have done that! I aimed straight for him!" Krieg roared, looking at Mihawk like he was a demon.

"He averted them." Krieg squawked, as suddenly Zoro was standing beside him. "He gently changed the path of the bullets, using the flat of his sword." Krieg snorted in disbelief.

"That can't be true." Zolo ignored him and walked up to the edge of the wreck to address Mihawk.

"I've never seen a sword moved so gently..." He spoke in appreciation of Mihawk's immense grace and use of minimal energy. Mihawk's eyes shifted to Zoro.

"There is no strength in swordplay based only upon force." Zolo nodded in appreciation, Mihawk certainly made a point. He pointed around, at the various wrecks that had drifted in as the battle had been joined and dragged on.

"Did you use that sword to slice up these ships as well?" Zoro gestured around, identifying the various ships that were still somewhat intact, leftover from Krieg's armada. Mihawk nodded lightly.

"That's right." Zoro gulped as he beheld Mihawk.

"I see... You are the strongest swordsman..." Zolo's head dipped and a shadow came upon his face, as he slapped his three swords with his right hand.

"DRACULE "HAWKEYES" MIHAWK! I'VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR YOU!" Zoro stood straight up, and held all three swords out in a challenge to the "Worlds Greatest Swordsman". Mihawk gave one look at him, surveyed the battlefield, and hopped out of his boat.

"That's the man who sank Krieg's 50 ships on his own on the Grand Line?" Exclaimed Patti, surprised that such a slight-looking man, had caused damage on _that_ scale. Well, they didn't seem to notice it, but Zolo only came up to Mihawk's chest in height, and he was nearly as tall as Luffy. Mihawk was NOT a small man. The cooks began to mutter amongst themselves about the difference in appearance, and what that may mean. Zeff interrupted them.

"He is the master swordsman Hawkeye... the man who stands above all other swordsman in the world..."

"What is your goal in looking for me?" The cool demeanour of Mihawk cut across the battlefield simultaneously cutting everyone like an arctic wind and also drawing them in like a warm fire.

"I HAVE TRAINED, TESTED, AND PUSHED MYSELF, FOR JUST THIS DAY! MY GOAL IS TO SURPASS YOU AND BECOME THE STRONGEST SWORDSMAN." With a roar, Zoro threw himself at the _Shichibukai_ , who quietly held up a hand, causing the demon-swordsman to halt and raise an eyebrow. With a small motion, Mihawk pulled a short dagger from the cross pendant on his chest.

"I'm no beast who goes all out when hunting a rabbit." He looked slightly saddened. "Unfortunately, I don't carry any smaller sharp instrument then this one." Before he finished, with a snarl(and a little rage), Zoro sprinted to him and began to perform one of his special striking moves.

 _ **"ONI-GIRI"**_

With one simple movement, Mihawk stopped all three swords, at an apex point where they would all have to follow through in the swing. Zolo strained and grunted, but there was nothing he could do. Finally he burst back, and began using more probing strikes to see how complete Mihawk's defence was. What a multitude of thoughts must be running through his head right now, I mused.

"What ferocity your swordplay has." Hawkeye pondered aloud, as he analyzed Zoro and his moveset. Boring his eyes into Zolo's soul, he questioned him as they fought. "What burden do you bear on your shoulders? What do you desire once you've obtained power, weak one?"

In a flash of hesitation, the tall pale swordsman backhanded Zoro over ten feet away. Unsteadily, he got to his feet.

"How did you do that! No one's ever done that before! I didn't know you could do that to my _Santoryu_?!" Zoro exclaimed, even as he attempted to breach the insurmountable defence Mihawk had enacted. Mihawk grinned a thin smile.

"Any sword style can be stopped by the smallest of blades... If the wielder is so far outclassed by his opponent that style doesn't matter." Zolo grunted, and continued his attacks. Mihawk continued to lecture him.

Zoro made to rush him and tried to strike him with a _**Tiger-Trap!**_ _,_ but Mihawk stabbed right through his defence, embedding his 4 inch blade into Zolo's chest. He stopped cold, but remained standing, and only stumbled back a few paces. Mihawk looked him up and down.

"Kid! State your name." With a few steadying breaths, Zoro raised his swords up, and stared into Mihawk's eyes.

"Roronoa Zolo." Mihawk nodded, squaring up Zoro with his full attention.

"I'll remember, it strong one. I haven't seen anyone like you in a while. As a swordsman courtesy I will sink you using the world's strongest Black Blade." Mihawk drew the massive sword upon his back, and looked seriously at Zolo.

"Fall." Zoro's eye's widened, as he felt the murderous intent of Mihawk's spike, and knew that he could die in the next move.

" _ **SANTORYU SECRET MOVE-THREE THOUSAND WORL-URK"**_

Mihawk was past him in a flash, and Zolo knelt over as blood splashed down from his chest. Time slowed down as Mihawk began to turn around to finish the lesson, lecturing Zoro all the while.

""As it stands right now, you are probably the greatest swordsman in the East Blue... However, the East Blue is the weakest of the 4 Oceans, thus leaving you the strongest of the weak, which even I can still respect. As such though you are a babe, as you learned during our fight, which I do not need to concern my time with at this current point in your path. Let this be a lesson to you, that even if you think you develop an unassailable strength, there will be those who are of bigger habitats... Why did you turn to face me?" Mihawk stated as he turned around, only to witness Zolo stand up, and face him with his arms stretched out.

"Because I can't back down. Just because my goal is in front of me, right now, and is more powerful than me... I feel like if I take one step away from you, one step back... That would be worse than dying." Mihawk looked at him incredulously.

"You won't take a step back, even if it means I will kill you? Why not just let me slice you into unconsciousness when you were on the ground?" Zoro grinned.

"A wounds on ones swordsman's back is a dishonour, the shame of a swordsman!" Mihawk grinned, and as he smiled at Zolo, bringing his massive cross blade down towards my grandson.

"Well said! I will leave you with this then Roronoa ZORO!" With that he sliced into his chest, just deep enough to leave a massive scar, not deep enough to end Zolo's life. "Remember this scar! Remember what happened when you ran into your ambition! Remember, and let it drive you to your highest, and remember that at that peak... You will face me! Farewell for now Roronoa Zoro, I will see you at the top!"

I had to try hard and restrain my anger as I watched Mihawk manhandle Zolo. It hurt to see people I cared about injured in any way. But this was necessary for Zoro in that it would drive him, and Sanji in that it would inspire him. As we all witnessed this, and Kaya began to tend to his wounds, me having brought her out the moment Zolo was laid low. Zoro's cry's garnered the attention of everyone.

" **I... I WILL... I WILL NEVER... LOSE AGAIN!"** Everyone hung onto his declaration, feeling the solemnity within it, and the will with which it would be sought after and attained. Sanji was agape at the dedication Zoro had shown in pursuing his goal, he couldn't believe that the man would rather die than take a step back or take a wound to his back.

In a second, I was in front of Mihawk though. The vampire man's eyes widened briefly, before raising an eyebrow at me. I whispered to him that we should talk soon, and he nodded.

At that point, a nuisance made itself known again.

"OY MIHAWK! I AIN'T DONE WITH YOU YET!" The enraged blonde idiot made to come over and started trying to provoke Mihawk. I rolled my eyes, and in a second knocked him out cold before laying the Don out flat and crouching at his side. I began to write something on his armour. Mihawk stayed, curious as to what I was doing, before snorting and looking away. He looked back down at me.

"This will make the _Shichibukai's_ life MUCH harder, you know this right?" I grinned up at him.

"Sengoku is going to blow his stack, that's for sure." Once I finished up, I hefted Krieg over my shoulder. Looking at the my compass, I looked up into the sky, and once I was satisfied, I nodded and then with a massive grunt and significant reinforcement of Gamma radiation I threw "Admiral" Don Krieg over the horizon.

The rest of the day was spent cleaning up the restaurant, salvaging what we could from the ship that nearly wrecked itself on top of Baratie, and then ate together after the customers were escorted safely home, free of charge due to the incidents today[supported on my bill, Zeff would never agree to such a thing, the old fart would just say that such is the risk you take eating at sea]. Nami, unlike the canon-timeline, didn't sneak away in the night, but rather knew that we were going to her village next and we were going to clean Arlong's clock. No reason for her to steal money and run away here.

Next stop, Arlong Park

 _~Marine Station #384, East Blue~_

 **CRASH, BANG, BOOM!**

With an almighty report, the station chieftain of #384 jumped up from his hammock, just in time to witness a body smash through the several rooftops above his office, and right through his own.

"D-DON KRIEG!" He exclaimed, recognizing that mop of thick blonde hair and Wootz steel anywhere. Krieg couldn't hear a damn thing he said however, he looked so out of it... His tongue lolled out the side of his mouth, and his eyes were rolled into the back of his head. It was then that the marine chief noticed something carved into his armour's chest area. Calling in several deputies, he began to read it.

 _"~TO: Sengoku~_

 _~FROM: Garp~_

 _~Having a great vacation, hold down the office for me~_

 _~Best Regards, Garp~_

Hoo boy, it was going to be a long day for him...

 **-Thomas Bergersen Blackheart END-**

 _~Chapter End~_

 **Authors Note:** Soon, we will be heading through the Arlong Park portion, and Loguetown. I am excited, because now the characters really start to be tested. Although some of this may seem Mary/Gary Stuish, I have stated reasons for why it has happened thus far, and explained that the intent was to stack the deck.

Unless you have the power of a Gorosei in One Piece, the world is fairly challenging. Even Tenryuubito can die when they are out and about. So, in order to stop all these others from hurting the Strawhats, and to help the world over, I had to cheat.

Again, I would say that Luffy will begin struggling when he meets people he can fight that are like Smoker, Enel, and Laboon[he's just that damn big]. And Zoro here learned his lesson as well, that was needed.

Oh, and Don Krieg here is blonde, because that really fits with his character. He is a vapid, arrogant man who wants the world to work according to him. The Lt. Surge comparison in my point of view is valid.

Thanks to coduss and ParallelPenSW for reviewing.

As well, anyone who has any interest in One Piece and has not watched "The Story of One Piece (30 Minutes) by one manga on YouTube needs to go and watch that RIGHT NOW. It is an amazing AMV about the story and characters of One Piece.

Kindly Review. Flames will be used to feed the Eternal Fires of Mephistopheles.


End file.
